


The Pursuit

by exoticmermaid



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Drama, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Pining, Police Officer Park Chanyeol, Romance, Smut, mentions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:20:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26027110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exoticmermaid/pseuds/exoticmermaid
Summary: Baekhyun had never felt more alive than the times when he ran as fast as he could from a certain man in blue, just to catch him with his own hands.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Oh Sehun
Comments: 24
Kudos: 63





	1. Cigarette Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> posted in aff as well but i prefer ao3 lately bcs there's so many fics i have yet to read here /cry/  
> Chanyeol is 7 years older, and Baekhyun is underage (17) in a few chapters

It was burning.

He could feel his lungs giving up on him. With every step he took, his breath became shorter. His lungs were screaming—asking him to stop before the organ combust. But he couldn’t. He kept on running, not caring that his legs were getting weak. He had the widest smile on his face. Despite the fact that his body was giving up on him, he had never felt more liberated.

“Stop!”

The smile on his face turned into a childish smirk. He knew the voice so well. Instead of doing what the voice ordered him to do, he only ran faster. He had always done the opposite of what the owner of the voice wanted him to do. He spared a glance to his back, making sure that he was still chased. His heart was beating faster, but not because of the fact that he had been running for God knows how long. His heart was beating like drums for an entirely different reason.

It was a big mistake though. His steps faltered and the chaser immediately caught up to him. A strong hand immediately caught his wrist, effectively stopping him from his run. They both fell to the ground and the chaser immediately turned him to his front while holding both his hands behind his back. He was very careful not to crush the boy underneath him.

“Well, fuck,” he cursed under his breath. He was being forced to stand; his hands were still on his back.

“Must we do this every time?” His chaser grumbled, his voice was slightly hoarse from the yelling and the running. He could feel his hot breath fanning next to his ear. He had stopped running, but he still had trouble breathing. Again for an entirely different reason. “You know we’ll catch you every time, Byun.”

Baekhyun smiled to himself, his cheeks were painted in red but not because of exhaustion. _I know you will,_ he thought. To be caught was, after all, his main goal of being pursued.

***

“That makes it the second time this week, Mr. Kim. Please control them.”

Baekhyun watched as his chaser scribbled something on his desk. His legal guardian kept on bowing his head, apologizing for something he actually had no control of. Whatever Baekhyun did really had nothing to do with his legal guardian and he already told them not to call him. They should punish him instead of calling Junmyeon every time he did something wrong (according to them). Still, they felt like it was Junmyeon’s fault every time he got caught.

“Stop staring.”

Baekhyun glared at the owner of the voice. It was none other than his accomplice, his friend for the past three years.

“Shut the fuck up, Sehun,” he spat. Sehun, the said accomplice, snickered at the tone of his voice.

“You’re only upset because he called Junmyeon hyung earlier than usual.”

Having been his best friend for three years, of course Sehun would hit the nail on the head. There was no use to lie to Sehun. “I didn’t even get the chance to call him names, you know,” he mumbled. “We didn’t even get to argue.”

Before Sehun could say anything else, they saw Junmyeon stood up, still bowing at the officer in front of him. Poor Junmyeon. He never asked to babysit two troublemakers. But then again, it was him who took them under his wings. The said angel then turned to them and motioned them to come.

“Apologize,” he said sternly when they were by his side. Even though he really looked like an angel from the outside with his fair complexion and soft features, he could actually be pretty scary. Especially when Baekhyun and Sehun did their weekly mischief and he had to leave his job to bail them out.

“I’m sorry,” Sehun said immediately. He didn’t want to upset Junmyeon more than he already did—although it was mainly Baekhyun’s fault. He never did, though. No matter what he did, one smile from him would make Junmyeon forget about every bad thing he did. “It won’t happen again.”

It took Baekhyun longer to say his apology. He took his time in staring at the officer in front of him, knowing that it would be a while before they met again. His black hair was styled to perfection as usual—appropriate for his line of work. His uniform was worn with pride. And as always, his face was lacking in expression. It amused him how the man in front of him wouldn’t falter even though Baekhyun was staring at him dead in the eyes. It did nothing but intrigued Baekhyun more. There was nothing he wanted more than to see that mask broke. Their staring contest ended when Junmyeon nudged him with his elbow. With his most enchanting smile, he bowed mockingly and said,

“I’m very sorry, Chanyeol-ssi. You won’t catch me again.”

They all knew it was a lie, especially Chanyeol.

***

“The second fucking time this week. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Baekhyun stared at his legal guardian who was standing in front of him with his arms crossed. He was a very fair skinned man, nearing thirty (he was _old_ ). He had a jet black hair, styled effortlessly because he was a perfectionist when it came to his appearance. His face was very angelic when he wasn’t mad at Baekhyun, but at that moment, there was a deep frown tainting his beautiful face. He felt kind of sorry for Junmyeon, because, _really_ , he didn’t ask for that. He was supposed to be grateful that Junmyeon was kind enough to take care of him and avoid any kind of trouble. _But he couldn’t help it._

“I’m sorry, hyung,” he said quietly. He really did. Not because of what he did—hell, he knew he would do it again the week after—but because Junmyeon had to deal with it after. He had always felt bad whenever Junmyeon got mad at him, yet it didn’t stop him from doing it again. The cycle would never end.

“Smoking in front of the school building? Do you want to be expelled?” Junmyeon asked again, his voice was rising higher than usual. “And you tagged Sehun along with you too.”  
The guilt hit Baekhyun harder. He knew he went overboard with his mischief that time. And he knew that Junmyeon was upset mainly because Sehun was involved. He was always a little more upset whenever Sehun was involved in Baekhyun’s rascality. He thought he was being discreet about it, but Baekhyun had always known that Junmyeon favored Sehun more than him. Not that he minded, of course.

“Sehunnie didn’t smoke,” he tried to defend his dear partner in crime.

“Not to them. According to them, both of you smoked.”

“They’re lying. They always do to make things easier,” Baekhyun scoffed. He felt sorry right after when Junmyeon let out a deep sigh. “I’m really sorry, hyung. Sehunnie wasn’t supposed to be there. It was too late before he could go, so he ran away with me as well.”

Junmyeon sat on the sofa next to Baekhyun. He was too exhausted. “You know how they are, but you still mess with them,” he muttered. He knew he had to scold Baekhyun more; he should even punish Baekhyun. But he couldn’t. He never could. “Just don’t do it again.”

“I won’t. I’m sorry,” Baekhyun said again as he scooted closer to Junmyeon. He circled his arms around Junmyeon’s waist as he rested his head on his shoulder. Junmyeon knew that Baekhyun would do it again—he always did—but he let the younger one clung onto him. “Thank you for bailing me out.” Baekhyun gave him a very soft peck on his cheek like he always did when he wanted Junmyeon to forgive him. He also knew he spoilt the two boys rotten, but what else he could do? He cherished both of them way too much for his own good.

“Go to bed now,” was all that he said in the end.

***

Junmyeon had been taking care of Baekhyun for three years. It was on a hot summer night and he was walking home from his work. Normally he would drive his car, but that day he felt like walking for an unknown reason. When he thought about it later, maybe it was the universe’s way to bring Baekhyun to him. That was when his eyes caught the sight of Baekhyun, walking mindlessly with a duffel bag on his shoulder. 

It was an hour to midnight and he didn’t need to be a psychic to know that Baekhyun was still very young. The boy had raven hair back then, and he was much shorter. Even underneath the dim lamp post, it was easy to see that the boy’s eyes were red. Junmyeon had always been so soft, so empathetic to others—something that his parents used to complain a lot because a lot of people took advantage of him. Not to mention he was very, _very_ impulsive. He had another young man in his apartment back then to prove his impulsiveness. Without thinking, he approached Baekhyun.

The younger boy almost kicked him when he came close.

After talking for a while, he asked Baekhyun to come with him. It was quite hard since Baekhyun was very suspicious of him—who wouldn’t? He was a stranger in the middle of the night. Even though his appearance was normal, he could’ve been a psycho. A very charming psycho. But in the end, Baekhyun followed Junmyeon back to his house after Junmyeon convinced him that he was not a pervert.

Baekhyun had never left since then.

He immediately took Baekhyun under his care. The latter didn’t have anyone else in the world or at least that was what he told Junmyeon. He knew he was supposed to ask more, but he didn’t want to make Baekhyun sad. He also did the same with Sehun, the first boy he took in. The latter ended up talking about his own life months after when he came to trust Junmyeon. He thought that it would be the same with Baekhyun—he would tell his story when he was ready—although many years later, he had not said anything. He became his legal guardian and enrolled him to school, because he wanted Baekhyun to be able to take care of himself if he wasn’t around and to do that he needed to at least have a high school diploma. 

At first he thought that he would regret taking care of Baekhyun because the boy was so very quiet and reserved. After a few weeks though, it turned out that Baekhyun was a very cheerful and wonderful child. He always tried to help around the house and barely did anything that upset him. His bubbly personality brought life to his previously dull apartment, making Sehun talk more and laugh even more. He also found out that Baekhyun was a very diligent student; he could immediately catch up with the lessons.

But four months prior, Baekhyun began his little mischief. He started getting calls from the men in blue and he started to pick Baekhyun up at the station instead of school. How he felt like a failure every time his phone would ring, indicating that the boy had got into troubles again. But Baekhyun would always tell him that it wasn’t his fault and he shouldn’t really beat himself up because of it. He couldn’t really fathom the reasons behind Baekhyun’s sudden change. The problem was, he was still a very excellent student at school. He only did bad things when he was outside of school. When he confronted the younger why he kept on messing with the law, the answer he got was only a shrug before Baekhyun went to his room. He wanted to pry more, but Sehun told him that it would be better to let Baekhyun be. And who was he to not trust Sehun?

“Junmyeon hyung?”

Junmyeon snapped from his thoughts. He couldn’t help but smile at the boy with black hair who looked at him apologetically from his bedroom.

“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” He asked as he walked to the front of the room. Even though Sehun was much taller than him, but there was undeniable evidence that Sehun was indeed much younger. He couldn’t really hide his childlike demeanor, especially at times like this. The younger bit his lip as if he was carefully arranging his words before he spoke.

“I’m really sorry about what happened today,” Sehun mumbled. Despite his regular cold and stoic appearance, he had always softened in front of Junmyeon. Only in front of Junmyeon would he really show his emotions without trying to hide anything.

He ruffled Sehun’s hair lightly. “I know you didn’t mean it to happen.” He sighed deeply before he continued. “And I know it’s all Baekhyun’s doing. So don’t worry.”

He felt like the worst person ever because his heart stopped beating when Sehun smiled at him softly.

“Don’t be mad at Baekhyun too.”

“You know I’ll never be mad at him. Now go sleep. You’ve got school tomorrow.” The younger wished him a good night sleep, but Junmyeon knew he would get anything but that.

***

“Hey there, little rascals.”

Baekhyun scowled at the person in front of him. “You’re only four months older than me so shut it, Kim.” A hearty laughed came as a reply to his venomous words. He had the sudden urge to hit the owner of the laugh with his books. Sadly, he couldn’t afford to get into more troubles that week. Junmyeon would _disown_ him if he got a call from school saying that Baekhyun had assaulted someone—he wanted to keep on being the perfect student Junmyeon was always proud of.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m 18 already, Byun,” his friend teased again. He had just turned 18 two months ago, but he really loved to rub it in front of Baekhyun. He knew too well that Baekhyun couldn’t wait until he turned 18 too. “Why did you smoke in front of school anyway? That’s like throwing yourself into a crocodile’s cage.”

Before he could answer, someone else had answered for him. “Because he wants to get bitten by said crocodile, of course,” Sehun said nonchalantly. He was still a little pissed because Baekhyun dragged him into his little rendezvous. He really disliked upsetting Junmyeon but he really couldn’t say no to Baekhyun too.

“Shut up, Oh,” Baekhyun hissed. No one needed to know the reason behind his sudden cravings for troubles. But of course, none of his friends would let it go.

“A police officer? Seriously Byun?” Jongin asked, his eyebrows were raised skeptically.

“No. And it’s none of your business anyway, Jongin,” Baekhyun spat. He knew it was futile to cover the fact, but he hoped that Jongin would realize the seriousness in his voice. 

“Don’t say anything about it or I’ll tell your precious Kyungsoo about your little secret,” he threatened when he saw Jongin was about to say something.

Jongin frowned, a deep crease was formed on his tanned forehead. “It’s unfair,” he protested.

“Life’s unfair, so suck it up.”

The trio proceeded to walk to their respective classes because they had different schedules that day. After promising to meet during lunch, Baekhyun entered his first class of the morning. He wasn’t that excited, but he didn’t want to disappoint Junmyeon even more. He was, after all, indebted to the generous angel. The least he could do was to get good scores in every class he took. It wasn’t hard for him since he was, somehow, blessed with a superior intelligence. But that didn’t change the fact that the classes were boring and how he hoped that he was outside, playing hide and seek with a certain someone.

“Good morning, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun looked up and smiled at the wide eyed man who had just greeted him. Kyungsoo was a very quiet person so it surprised him at first when the latter wanted to talk to him. It turned out that he was quite fun; he was just a little shy around strangers at first. Baekhyun was really glad he took the initiative to talk to Kyungsoo when he first met him. He loved their pure and innocent friendship.

“Morning, Soo.”

“I heard you got into troubles yesterday.” Baekhyun groaned at his friend’s statement.

“Does everyone know about it?”

Kyungsoo gave him his signature heart shaped smile—the one that he rarely showed to other people. “I guess not. I heard from Jongin.” The mention of his annoying friend piqued Baekhyun’s interest.

“You heard from _Jongin_ ,” he repeated, raising his eyebrows as he pretended to be surprised. He knew that the two of them had been—not so secretly—getting along with each other. But both of them were still too shy to take things further. Well, shy was in Kyungsoo’s case. Jongin was just too scared that he would drive Kyungsoo away if he was being too forward. It was kind of frustrating, really.

The pink blush on Kyungsoo’s face made Baekhyun chuckle. “He chatted me yesterday to ask some stuff about our music class’ project,” he said quietly.

“Sure.” Baekhyun smiled, knowing that Jongin had been coming up with excuses just to start a conversation with Kyungsoo. It really amused him to see how flustered Jongin was with Kyungsoo, when before he was a renowned playboy who would confidently flirt with anyone that caught his eyes. He could make a trilogy about his past flings, ex-lovers, and one night stands. Yet one heart shaped smile from Kyungsoo would make him the biggest nerd who couldn’t form a simple sentence. It would be better if the two started dating already. They would look really cute together.

“He really did!”

“Yes, Kyungie. Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he said.

Rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo knew he couldn’t win from Baekhyun, so he decided to go back to the topic. “Why did you do it anyway?”

“No reason,” Baekhyun replied, as if he didn’t just break the school rule and the law. “I just felt like it. It was just a smoke, not a fucking blunt.”

“Words,” Kyungsoo scolded. He was the only saint in their group. “And I don’t think there’s no reason. You’ve been doing this for months.”

Baekhyun didn’t say anything, only smiling mischievously. Before Kyungsoo could ask again, the bell rang.

By the time they had their lunch break, Baekhyun immediately went to their usual table at the cafeteria. He spotted Sehun’s raven hair easily since his friend was quite tall—something that Baekhyun was really jealous of.

“Here’s your lunch,” Sehun said as he passed Baekhyun the lunch that Junmyeon prepared them that morning. No matter how many times the teenagers told him to stop making lunch for them, the oldest would still get up early every morning to make them something. They were very embarrassed about their lunch boxes when they were younger, but they were grateful for them as they got older. Lunch boxes meant there was no need to spend money. And Junmyeon’s food was a thousand times better than the crap they served at the cafeteria.

“Where’s Jongin?”

Sehun shrugged. “Probably fetching Kyungsoo.”

“He should really ask Kyungsoo to go out with him already,” Baekhyun commented. As if on cue, he saw his two friends walking towards them, all smiles and pretty blushing cheeks.

“Hey troublemaker,” Jongin greeted Baekhyun, as if forgetting about Baekhyun’s threat earlier that morning. He didn’t, of course, but he knew Baekhyun loved him too much to tell his secrets to his crush. And he loved teasing Baekhyun.

“Shut it, simp.”

“You’ve been rebelling for the past… I don’t know, four months? What’s the issue, Baek?” The caramel skinned man asked the same question that Kyungsoo had asked him that morning, playing pretense as if he couldn't already guess the reason, based on the conversation they had earlier that morning.

Baekhyun felt his friends eyeing him with curiosity—with the exception of Sehun who knew everything about him. He really didn’t want to tell them his reason because he knew Jongin would make fun of him until the end of the world if he knew. “Just feel like it,” he answered in the end. “And I don’t want to talk about it anymore, Kim,” he added with menacing look. He got an annoying laugh as a reply.

“Be careful, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo suddenly said. He had been quiet since he started his lunch, probably because Jongin was sitting too close. “We’re a few months away from graduation. You don’t want to repeat another year, or worse, get expelled, do you?” Other than his timid and saint-like nature, Kyungsoo was also very mature and thoughtful. He acted like Baekhyun’s mother sometimes, telling him what to do and what not to do, but Baekhyun didn’t mind. He needed a mother figure anyway.

“I know, Kyung,” he said.

But even though he knew his future was at line, he really couldn’t stop the temptation to get into troubles just so he could meet a certain someone dressed in blue. As if he could read minds, Jongin muttered under his breath.

“Officers, huh.”

Baekhyun shot daggers at him, but it seemed like Kyungsoo didn’t hear what Jongin had said. He mouthed ‘fuck you’ to Jongin before continuing his lunch.

***

Spring was already lurking around the corner, but Baekhyun felt like it was summer. Tiny droplets of sweat formed on his skin as he felt the temperature in the room rise. Of course it was very unlikely since he was in a supermarket where the temperature was just perfect. The reason why he felt like that was the person who stood not far away from him. Dressed in casual clothes instead of his usual blue uniform, he looked like he just came out of the runway. He was wearing an expensive looking coat with black jeans that really complimented his long legs. His black hair was a little bit disheveled, different than his usual neat hair style when he was at his office. It was the first time Baekhyun had seen him in his casual clothes. And man did he look _hot_.

Baekhyun was about to turn around when the man seemed to notice that someone was staring. For a split second, their eyes met and the temperature got higher. The man’s face remained reserved just the way it always was in front of Baekhyun.

“Byun,” the man greeted him.

“Hey officer,” he greeted back, giving his signature teasing smile. “Fancy seeing you in here.”

“Same here, as long as you’re not thinking of causing trouble,” Chanyeol replied. His deep voice was doing wonders to Baekhyun’s teenage heart. “Where’s your guardian?”

“He’s at work. He asked me to buy groceries, and don’t worry, I’m not looking for troubles,” Baekhyun laughed. Chanyeol remained unfazed.

“Good,” was his only reply. He continued to observe the fruits on the aisle in front of him, not sparing Baekhyun another glance.

Baekhyun pretended to look at the apples as well, just because he wanted to annoy the officer a little longer. There was an annoyingly large space between them. Baekhyun preferred when there was no space at all—like when Chanyeol pushed his body down to the ground.

“You smell like cigarette smoke,” Chanyeol suddenly said, still not looking at him.

“How do you know it’s me? It could’ve been anyone else in this building,” Baekhyun retorted. He could have commented on how beautiful Baekhyun’s legs were in his skinny jeans, or how pretty his eyes were without any eyeliner framing them. Instead he commented on the lingering scent of _cigarette_? Baekhyun was annoyed.

To his surprise, the officer finally looked at him. He took two small steps, effectively standing in front of Baekhyun. He stared at Baekhyun with his unreadable expression. Although usually it made Baekhyun excited, he was nervous for some reason. He hoped the man that was towering over him couldn’t see the faint rose on his cheeks.

“There’s no one else around us now. I can still smell it, so it’s you,” Chanyeol finally said before returning to his goddamn fruits.

“Are you going to report me then? Gonna call Junmyeon hyung again?” The teenager mocked, thinking that his rudeness would somehow hide the anxiety he felt.

“I’m not on duty,” the officer replied shortly. Just like that, he walked away.

Astounded, it took Baekhyun a few seconds before he caught up to Chanyeol. Damn Chanyeol and his ridiculously long legs!

“So just like that? You’re not gonna do anything just because you’re off duty? No wonder our city sucks,” he said when Chanyeol finally stopped in front of the tea aisle.

“I’m cutting your guardian some slacks,” Chanyeol said, still in his calm demeanor. “You should stop it anyway. It’s cancer waiting to happen.”

“Nobody will care if I get cancer anyway,” he said childishly. He thought Chanyeol would scold him—like any other adult would.

“Junmyeon will,” he said instead, his eyes were trained to the chamomile tea in front of him. “And Sehun. And your other friends. And other people you’ve yet to meet. I’m sure they’ll hate to lose you to something as horrendous as cancer. Not to mention that you will smell bad.”

Stunned, Baekhyun stood next to him anyway. That was the longest Chanyeol had ever talked to him in one breathing. “I don’t smell bad,” he blurted out in the end.

Chanyeol spared him a glance for a split second. “Without the cigarette smell you don’t.”

Again, Chanyeol’s words petrified him. _Did he just imply that I smell good if I didn’t smoke?_ He turned his head as he felt his cheeks burned. Since the officer had always been so stoic and indifferent towards him, this new side really caught him off guard. Was it the uniform? Did the uniform make him become all serious and cold? He was confused. But he was ecstatic.

“Well, I’ll see you around,” Baekhyun said, not knowing what else to say. Although usually he couldn’t care less, but somehow that day he didn’t want to embarrass himself further. The said officer took his eyes off the English breakfast he was holding. For another second, their eyes met before he averted his eyes.

“Not in the station, I hope,” he replied curtly, bringing a smile back to Baekhyun’s face.

“You love seeing me there.”

“No. And I hate paper works.”

“I’ll make sure to see you there soon, then,” Baekhyun teased once more before he turned around, not waiting for the man to say anything.

“I hope the cigarette scent is gone by then,” Chanyeol said all of the sudden. It took everything in Baekhyun not to turn around to see his face.

“Your face is red,” Sehun commented when Baekhyun entered the apartment abruptly. He already knew the reason. Only one person could paint scarlet on Baekhyun’s cheeks, even when he did the bare minimum.

Baekhyun started to chew gums since that day. And he started to smell like strawberries.


	2. Adult Shop

“Fuck.”

“Language,” Chanyeol scolded as he came closer to the person in front of him. Just earlier that morning he wondered about a certain pink haired boy with droopy eyes that hadn’t made any trouble for the past two weeks and there he was, in front of an… adult shop, in the middle of the day. He knew it was too peaceful lately but he really didn’t expect _this_ kind of scenario.

“Don’t call Junmyeon hyung,” the pink haired boy said— _ordered_ as the matter of fact.

“What are you doing here?”

Baekhyun sighed. Even though he was very glad he met the officer, he didn’t want to get caught for once. It wasn’t the right moment. “I have things to do,” he muttered. He saw the way the officer cocked one of his eyebrow, looking insanely sexy when he did.

“Not a good reason. Come with me.” But before he could come closer, Baekhyun spoke again.

“Okay, okay! Don’t do that, jeez. Sehun’s birthday is coming up and my friends and I are planning to prank him by buying something funny.”

Chanyeol tried really hard not to show any emotion on his face. He knew the kind of pranks they could pull if an adult shop was involved. _It was so childish_ , he thought. “You kids surely have a strange idea of funny,” he commented, as if he didn’t watch his friends did the same when he was younger. “That’s still not a good enough reason to skip school and go… here. I have to call your guardian and you’re coming with me.”

“I haven’t even entered! I was just about to enter when I saw you coming!” Baekhyun protested. He really didn’t want Junmyeon to know what he was plotting and he didn’t want to spoil the prank for Sehun.

“You’re not even legal yet.” Chanyeol stayed quiet for a split second. “How were you planning to buy anything from here?” He saw the way Baekhyun averted his eyes nervously the moment the question left his lips. After waiting for a while, the boy didn’t seem like he was about to answer his question. _Well this is interesting,_ he thought.

“If you’re not going to answer, I’m calling Junmyeon,” he said as he fished his phone out of his pocket. Then he felt a grip on his wrist. It felt warm for the slightest moment. Maybe it was the spring sun.

“No! Please,” Baekhyun pleaded. It really hurt his ego because he wasn’t one to plead to anyone but Jongin would really kill him if he failed to buy the gift. He was, after all, the one who volunteered to go in the first place. “Don’t call Junmyeon hyung.” He put on his best puppy face which usually worked for everyone. Sadly, the man in front of him wasn’t just everyone. He only raised his eyebrows and waited for Baekhyun to elaborate further. Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, he took out his wallet and handed something to Chanyeol.

“Seriously?” He asked. On his hand was a fake I.D that looked really badly made that it wouldn’t take a genius to know that it was fake.

“It usually worked, okay?”

“Usually?”

A shade of red made another appearance on Baekhyun’s face. “Not for this one! You know, for the cigarettes,” he rebutted quickly. Well of course not only for cigarettes, but he was already in a very deep trouble. He didn’t want to risk anything by telling the complete truth. He waited for the older man to say something, but nothing came. Maybe it was only his eyes that were playing tricks with him, but _did the corners of his mouth twitch just now?_

“You’re not going to call Junmyeon hyung, are you?” He asked again. “Please?”

Chanyeol tried hard to regain his composure, not realizing how much he loved sound of the last word that Baekhyun said. Oh to be young and careless and stupid! Of course he never did anything like what Baekhyun did when he was young, but his friends did something similar, if not worse. He had always scolded his friends for doing something stupid and against the law since he had always wanted to become a police officer, though there were times when he laughed along with them. And this boy—this trouble maker with the weirdest hair color reminded him of those times. Turning a blind eye for once wouldn’t hurt…

“I won’t,” Chanyeol finally said. The boy lit up like it was Christmas and Chanyeol thought the sun was strangely bright that day. “Under certain conditions,” he continued, much to Baekhyun’s dismay. He didn’t wait for the boy to say anything because they both knew the latter wasn’t in the right position for bargaining. “First, I’m confiscating this,” he held up the I.D before he shoved it into his pocket. “Second, you’ll never go to places like this anymore while you’re still underage. And third, don’t skip class anymore.”

The boy furrowed his eyebrows before smiling; his mouth formed the cutest square. “Deal. I won’t let you catch me around here anymore. And I won’t let you catch me skipping school as well.” He smiled triumphantly, as if he had just thought about a brilliant idea.

Chanyeol sighed, a little smile escaped from his lips unconsciously. There was something about this boy, who had been adding loads of paper works to his desk, which made it hard for him to keep his calm demeanor. He found himself getting more and more comfortable around him, without him intending to do so. “I know you’ll say something like that.”

The smile, even though it was barely noticeable and only appeared in a split second, made the butterflies in Baekhyun’s stomach go wild. He knew his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, because it felt too surreal to be an imagination. He had always wanted Chanyeol to show the slightest bit of emotion on his face but he was not ready for _that_. The tall officer looked even better with his face looking so soft, _so gentle_. He was left speechless; unable to say anything because his stomach was too preoccupied in controlling the butterflies. They both stood there in silence.

“Well, I have to go back to the station,” Chanyeol finally said, feeling awkward at the boy’s sudden silence. Usually Baekhyun would always talk back to him so the silence really took him by surprise. “Where are you going? School’s not supposed to end in another two hours and I don’t think Junmyeon would appreciate it if you went home this early.”

“Oh, no. He has work until the evening so it’ll be fine if I go home now,” Baekhyun answered, finally finding his voice back. He hated the way it sounded so small all of the sudden.

“Okay.”

They both stood in silence again, not knowing how to say goodbye. Normally their goodbyes were done after Junmyeon bailed Baekhyun out. Or if they met outside of the police station, Baekhyun was the first to walk away after saying something teasing, not giving the older man a chance to say something. They were in an entirely new situation and both didn’t know what to do.

“Good bye then,” Chanyeol said, feeling that as the eldest and an adult, he was supposed to be the one responsible for breaking the awkwardness. He turned back to his car and got inside. In a few seconds he left, bringing something that belonged to Baekhyun unconsciously.

Baekhyun was still not functioning well after he returned to the apartment. Damn that smile. Damn his heart.

***

“Happy birthday!”

Sehun closed his eyes as he wished for more wonderful things on his 18th year of living. He didn’t have a long list—he was a very simple kid after all. He only wished for happiness and health for his friends and, most importantly, his guardian. Well, not exactly since he had reached legal age which meant that he didn’t need Junmyeon to be his guardian any longer. After saying his wishes, he opened his eyes and blew the candles. His friends were cheering while Junmyeon watched him from behind them.

“Finally you’re 18!” Jongin exclaimed as he hugged his best friend. “Think of all the fun things we can do now!”

“Hey!” Baekhyun shouted. “Don’t do fun things without me!”

“Oh poor little kid,” Jongin teased, clearly enjoying the reactions he got from Baekhyun. The latter flicked Jongin’s forehead a couple of times as a revenge.

“Stop it, Jongin. Let’s eat the cake,” Kyungsoo butted in. He was not in the mood to watch Jongin and Baekhyun being mean to each other. The cake in front of him was too inviting.

“Junmyeon hyung! You have to feed Sehun first!” Baekhyun said with a mysterious glint on his eyes. He took Junmyeon’s hand to drag him closer. Then he proceeded to give him the knife and plate.

Sehun felt the air got hotter when he saw Junmyeon in front of him. He watched expectantly as Junmyeon cut the cake neatly. The older man looked up to him and smiled his favorite smile, making his heart beat faster. It didn’t help that his hair was a little disheveled than usual and he was wearing the perfume Sehun bought him on his last birthday.

“Open up,” Junmyeon said with a spoonful of cake on his hand. With the prettiest shade of pink on his cheeks, Sehun gladly opened up his mouth to eat the cake. It was the sweetest thing he had ever eaten in his eighteen years of living, and it was a dark chocolate cake. As if he wasn’t happy enough, Junmyeon proceeded to hug him tightly. It was weird how Junmyeon’s short body fit his own tall and skinny body like a puzzle. “Happy birthday, Sehunnie,” he whispered on Sehun’s ear, warm breath fanning on his ear.

The warmth lingered for the longest of time.

After they ate the cake, the group decided to go out for dinner. They went to their favorite Korean restaurant, a cozy and quiet diner that served the tastiest foods. Kyungsoo was seated in the middle of Jongin and Junmyeon while in front of them was Baekhyun and Sehun. They talked basically about everything as they waited for their food to come, with Jongin and Baekhyun leading the conversation most of the time.

“Junmyeon hyung, are you sure it’s okay for you to ditch your work?” Baekhyun asked. It was Thursday and usually Junmyeon had to work until 9. That day, he decided to call in sick.

“It’s okay. I rarely do it after all.”

“Thank you so much, hyung,” Sehun said genuinely. He felt kind of guilty since he knew how important work was for Junmyeon.

“Don’t worry about it, Sehunnie. It’s not like you turn 18 every week,” the eldest of the group smiled gently. “It feels like it was only yesterday when I saw you but here you are, already an adult.”

Sehun felt his heart swooned at the sudden melancholy. He was only fourteen when Junmyeon decided to take care of him after all. He had never been more grateful for that.

“Don’t start, hyung,” Baekhyun whined. “We’re supposed to celebrate his birthday happily!”

Junmyeon laughed at Baekhyun’s childish behavior. He knew how much Baekhyun favored birthdays, knowing that he didn’t celebrate much before he moved in with them. “Alright, alright. I’m just so happy that you both grow up very well. Of course lately you’re quite the troublemakers,” he shot daggers at Baekhyun as he said that, “but overall I’m very proud of myself.” He smiled softly, but the group knew his smile was directed to one person only.

Before they could say anything, their foods came. Their hunger took over and they immediately dived in for the foods. They barely said anything as they ate their foods as if they hadn’t eaten in years, only talking to fight over the meat. Only Junmyeon and Kyungsoo were eating slowly, conversing in between their bites. Underneath the table, Sehun’s long legs accidentally brushed a certain someone’s legs. The food had never tasted better.

“You’re not coming home with us?” Junmyeon asked the pink haired boy who smiled rather suspiciously. It was already 9 in the evening and the weather was quite cold despite the fact that it was spring.

“No, hyung. I have an English project that I have to do with Kyung,” Baekhyun said as he circled his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

Junmyeon pondered for a moment before he said anything. Even though he had only met Kyungsoo a couple of times, he knew the owl eyed boy was the most responsible one out of the group. He knew he could trust Baekhyun with him. “Okay then. Be careful. Don’t come back too late.”

“Yeah sure. If it’s too late I’ll just stay over at Kyung’s house and go home tomorrow morning before class.”

Junmyeon frowned at his words. “No. Don’t bother Kyungsoo. I’ll just pick you—”

“It’s okay, Junmyeon-ssi,” Kyungsoo cut his words. “I don’t mind having Baekhyun around.”

The frown on Junmyeon’s forehead only became deeper. There was something suspicious about the way they acted but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “Okay,” he said in the end, knowing that it was futile to say ‘no’ to Baekhyun. He was a little bit tired after all and all he wanted was to go home. “Work hard on your project. Don’t cause too much trouble for Kyungsoo’s parents. Behave well and—”

“I get it,” Baekhyun rolled his eyes at the sudden lecture. Typical Junmyeon. “We better get going. Oh, Jongin! Give Sehun his present!”

Jongin handed the paper bag that he had been carrying to Sehun who eyed it suspiciously. His friends always got him the weirdest gifts. “Happy birthday once again, Sehun,” the caramel skinned man said merrily. “Hope you like it.”

“I also have another present for you in your bedroom,” Baekhyun added. He hugged Sehun dearly and pecked his cheek. “Happy birthday, Hunnie.”

“Thanks a lot guys,” Sehun said happily. He couldn’t care less if his friends got him a stationery kit like the previous year or something as absurd—having them in his life was already a gift.

He did, however, think over the thought when the morning came.

“I feel really bad lying to Junmyeon-ssi,” Kyungsoo said. The trio was walking to their houses together since Jongin lived in the same neighborhood as Kyungsoo.

“Don’t be,” Baekhyun sang. “They’ll thank us tomorrow, I’m telling you.”

“Or not,” Jongin quickly refuted. “I mean, we don’t know for sure if they like each other.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at his friend’s statement. “Please. I’ve lived with them for _three years_. I'm suffocating from the sexual tension. They’re so obvious it’s painful, but they’re both too dumb to notice their own feelings.”

“Well, Junmyeon hyung is an adult and Sehun was an underage before today. What do you expect him to do?”

“How old is Junmyeon-ssi again?” Kyungsoo asked. He had only joined the group since the beginning of their senior year and he had only met Junmyeon twice including that night. However, Baekhyun had generously filled him in with everything he needed—and not necessarily needed—to know about their group, including Junmyeon, the kind-hearted guardian.

“He’ll be 26 this year,” Baekhyun answered. “But he really looks younger, doesn’t he? It won’t be a problem for both of them. I hope things go well for— _shit_.”

Kyungsoo and Jongin looked to the direction that caused Baekhyun to stop walking. There was a man walking in front of them. He had a raven hair, cleanly cut, with ridiculously attractive big ears. He was also crazy tall—taller than Sehun who was supposed to be the tallest among them. Before either of them could ask Baekhyun about the person, the said man looked at them. He looked very handsome too, even when he was dressed in sweater and sweatpants, and they would have ogled him shamelessly if it weren’t for his intimidating poker face. The three of them froze in their step as the man walked closer to them.

“Byun,” he said—both Jongin and Kyungsoo almost jumped because they didn’t expect his voice to be that deep. “What are you doing outside at this hour?”

If they weren’t too shocked, Jongin and Kyungsoo would have laughed at Baekhyun’s attempt to say something because it was a rare sight for Baekhyun to _not_ say anything. The first thing you had to know about Baekhyun was that nothing ever made him lose the ability to speak. Nothing—unless the tall man who was standing in front of them. The boy looked like he had just seen a ghost before words finally left his mouth.

“We were celebrating Sehun’s birthday. I’m on my way to his house for a sleep over,” he said, pointing at Kyungsoo.

“Ah, I see,” Chanyeol said calmly, remembering the encounter he had with Baekhyun a few days before. Did he really pull the prank? Or did he decide to do something else? He kept his curiosity to himself. At least the boy was true to his promise because he didn’t catch him going to that shop. “You should be careful though. There’s been a gang that hurt people for no reason lately. We've had two victims so far and they’re both around your age. It’ll be better if you avoid going out at night until we catch them.”

“Yeah, sure. Thanks for the warning.” It was quite dark since they were pretty far away from the nearest lamp post, but Kyungsoo could see the faint tint on Baekhyun’s usual pale cheeks. Before he could see clearer, the man turned his eyes on him, startling him.

“Where’s your house?”

“J-just around the corner,” he stuttered and cursed himself for it. He had always been bad with strangers.

“And yours?” He asked Jongin.

“Across his,” Jongin answered. He seemed calmer then—he even had a teasing smirk on his face for a reason that Kyungsoo didn’t know.

“Okay then. Be careful, all of you. If anyone strange is coming near you, just run as fast as you can. Don’t even think about fighting them,” Chanyeol said. People might think that he was being fussy but it was in his nature to feel like he had to protect everyone—even the source of his paper works. He thought about walking with them to make sure they arrived safely, but quickly dismissed the thought. There were three of them and their house was only 3 minutes away. Walking with them would only make things more awkward than it already was. He bid them good night before he continued his walk.

Jongin and Kyungsoo muttered their thanks and watched as the man walked past them. They had to drag Baekhyun who looked like he wanted to follow the stranger.

“Do you know him?” Kyungsoo asked when he was sure that the man could no longer hear them.

“That’s the officer, isn’t it?” Jongin teased. Ever since the cigarette accident, he had always teased Baekhyun about the mysterious officer but that was the first time he saw the man in person. The way Baekhyun reacted really made it obvious. “No wonder you like him. He’s very handsome.”

The pink haired boy who had been quiet glared at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

But both Jongin and Kyungsoo knew exactly what he was talking about. The faint pink on Baekhyun’s pale cheeks told them everything they needed to know.

“Kyung,” Baekhyun called out later that night. He had already changed his clothes into Kyungsoo’s t-shirt and shorts and they were currently lying on the bed. It was fifteen minutes to midnight.

“Hm?” Kyungsoo hummed sleepily. Usually he slept at ten, but Baekhyun forced him to watch a movie with him.

“Why don’t you date Jongin already?”

Kyungsoo froze in his bed, his eyes were opened wide. He really didn’t expect Baekhyun to ask him something like that and _how the hell does he know I like Jongin?_

“Don’t deny. I know you like him.”

Kyungsoo turned slowly to face Baekhyun. The only source of light was the moon and he saw Baekhyun stare at him seriously. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he answered Baekhyun’s question. He also knew that there was no use in lying to Baekhyun. The man was sharp as knife.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. He really didn’t. He had been close to Jongin since he joined their group because they both took the same music class. The tanned skin man had always been so welcoming. The way Jongin talked to and treated him really flattered him and he really enjoyed his presence. He knew he liked Jongin more than friends when he felt the weird jolt of electricity when Jongin accidentally touched him once. But never once he thought of confessing to Jongin, let alone changing their relationship. Jongin was, after all, the first person he had ever liked. He didn’t want to ruin anything by confessing. The mere thought of Jongin ignoring him just because he confessed made Kyungsoo shiver in fear. Besides, he loved the feeling of loving Jongin, even though the said person was unaware of his feelings.

“Don’t you want to date him?” Baekhyun asked again.

It took Kyungsoo a while before he answered. “I’m really happy with the way things are now,” he said softly. “I don’t want to change anything.”

Baekhyun nodded then stopped talking. He looked like he was deep in thought. Usually Kyungsoo was the type to mind his own business, but he couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Is it true… that you like the guy from before?” He asked. He thought that Baekhyun would deny or change the subject, but his answer caught Kyungsoo by surprise.

“Yeah.”

Not knowing what to say, Kyungsoo only stared at his best friend. He had only known Baekhyun for less than a year, but he had never had a friend as close as Baekhyun. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asked, eager to help his friend.

“About what?” Came Baekhyun’s croaked answer. His behavior really surprised Kyungsoo. In fact, the Baekhyun from that evening had surprised him ever since they met the tall stranger. 

The Baekhyun he knew had always been so confident; his aura was overflowing with confidence that it almost made him look pretentious. But it didn’t make Baekhyun less interesting. In fact, people loved him for his confidence, adored him for it. He had witnessed the way Baekhyun flirted with other guys before; how he always took the lead and easily wrapped his fingers around anyone he liked. Yet the Baekhyun that was lying in front of him was very shy—very confused. He looked almost _insecure_. Before he managed to say anything, Baekhyun had already opened his mouth.

“I met him when I ditched class to go to the arcade with Sehun and Taemin, our friend from another school, last December,” he said quietly, as if embarrassed that the walls would listen. “We ran away when we saw them coming because some of Taemin’s friends were smoking blunt and you know they’d put the blame on all of us. We thought that they wouldn’t chase after us, but we were wrong. He ran after me for so long. I thought he was one hell of a mad man because you know how the others will give up since they’re too fat to actually catch someone. He didn’t. He ran after me as if it was really important to catch me. And when he caught me…” Baekhyun didn’t continue his words, but the flush on his cheeks was enough to let Kyungsoo know what happened after.

“Is that why you’ve been asking to get caught by the police lately?”

“At first I just wanted to see him take off his mask. He has always had this expressionless face, no matter what I said or did. Even when we argue, this face remained the same.” Kyungsoo nodded, remembering the stern face he saw earlier. “I just wanted to piss him off to see if he was actually capable of showing any kind of emotion. Then I started to be more interested. I mean…, who wouldn’t? I don’t want him to hate me—I want him to crumble in front of me. I want him to want me. I’ve been flirting with him just to see how long he can keep his face straight. But of course I can’t do anything too forward or else he will call Junmyeon.”

“I don’t understand why you were acting weird earlier though.”

Baekhyun let out a nervous laugh. “You know that day when I skipped class to buy Sehun’s gift? Just two weeks ago?”

“When you said you couldn’t get in and Jongin got mad at you for not listening to him?”

“Yeah, that one,” he smirked at the memory of Jongin flicking his forehead for not listening to the elder. Then in a mere second, his expression changed. The smirk turned into a small smile and his eyes were faraway, as if he was experiencing the memory all over again. It was really foreign for Kyungsoo. Baekhyun looked so… _soft_ , almost as if he was bewitched by something. 

“Actually I met him and he almost called Junmyeon. I told him that I wanted to buy something for Sehun’s birthday and that I hadn’t even gone inside. He agreed to let me off as long as I promised him not to go there and not to skip class anymore.”

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows were raised. That didn’t explain why Baekhyun acted so weird. He waited for him to continue, but Baekhyun looked like he was in another world. Whatever happened, it must be a precious thing since Baekhyun relished in the memory for a while.

“He smiled,” Baekhyun finally said, his voice came out as a whisper. “It was very quick and very small, but he did. He had never frowned, never smirked, and never batted an eyelash at my flirting. But there he was, smiling so softly as if it was the most natural thing for him to do. And I just..., well, I can't help it.”

Silence enveloped them for a while because Kyungsoo didn’t want to say anything that might make Baekhyun sad. Even though he was happy Baekhyun liked someone so much, he knew that it was risky. They didn’t know whether the other man liked man or not. And Baekhyun was still a minor, so there was a very small chance that he would actually take Baekhyun seriously. He took Baekhyun’s hand in his, squeezing it a little to show his support. It was the least he could do.

Baekhyun flashed him a small smile and held his hand tighter. “Let’s sleep,” he said. “I bet tomorrow Sehun won’t come to school.”

As his mind slowly drifted to dreamland, Kyungsoo thought that love was a very complicated thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soft baekhyun hours /sob/ basically all you'll see in this fic is everyone babying baek, smothering him with their love  
> Let's be friends on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/exosimp)!


	3. Dangerous Smirk

Baekhyun entered the apartment silently, not wanting to interrupt anything just in case his prediction came true. The apartment was still dark and there was no sound—it was still six in the morning after all. The traces from the celebration were still evident, meaning that Junmyeon was still too tired to clean anything. He tiptoed to his room carefully like a little thief.

“Fucking asshole.”

He froze at the spot when he heard the voice. He turned around slowly to see Sehun leaned on the door of his own bedroom. The tall man was wearing shorts and nothing else. His bed hair was worse than usual and he had a spiteful look on his face. But Baekhyun would have been blind if he said he didn’t notice the glow that was radiating from his body.

“Good morning to you too,” he chirped happily. “I see you’ve used our gift.”

Sehun glared at him as if he was about to slit his throat open if he said one more word. Baekhyun grinned before he walked back to his room, not wanting to be murdered before he was legal. He heard a barely audible ‘thank you’ before he heard the door shut gently.

After a quick bath, he got out of his room. His roommates seemed to still be in their own dreamland so he only made them a pot of coffee and prepared his own breakfast quickly. He knocked on Sehun’s door before he left for school.

“Not coming?” He asked, although he already knew the answer.

“ _No!_ ” Sehun grumbled from the bedroom. He also heard mutters—probably Junmyeon waking up—but he decided to leave them be. He knew they needed time to be alone, just in case they didn’t talk things through the previous night.

***

“Where’s Sehun?” Jongin asked the moment he spotted the pink haired boy. He earned a wide grin in return.

“Still tangled up in the sheets,” Baekhyun snickered. “I told you it would work.”

Jongin let out an amused smile. He had been skeptical when Baekhyun told him about his agenda to set Sehun up with their guardian. The poker faced friend of his had never showed any interest in dating someone, let alone his own guardian. But then again he didn’t know how Sehun acted when he was at home.

“Now what about you?” Baekhyun asked, waking him from his thoughts.

“What about me?” They walked to their lockers next to each other, taking their time since it was still pretty early.

“When will you make a move on Kyungsoo?”

Jongin stopped in his tracks, staring at Baekhyun with wide eyes. “Be quiet, Byun,” he hissed. “And I won’t make a move on Kyungsoo.”

“Why?” He urged.

“I don’t want to talk about it, especially here.”

Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun grabbed Jongin’s hand and dragged him outside. He ignored the protests coming from his tanned friend.

“Why?” Baekhyun asked again when they finally stopped underneath a tree.

Jongin hesitated before he answered. He looked really unwilling to answer, but he knew that he couldn’t run away from Baekhyun—the boy mastered the art of annoying people to get what he wanted. “I like things the way they are now.”

“And what exactly are ‘they’?” Baekhyun urged. “Pretending to give a shit about your class just to find an excuse to chat him? Running all the way to another building just to walk with him? Boring holes to Doyoung whenever he talks to Kyung?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“It is,” Baekhyun deadpanned. “I want you to be happy. You are one of my favourite people, Jongin. I don’t know what’s holding you back from getting your happiness.” All of his cockiness disappeared momentarily as he let his fragile side show. It was rare for Baekhyun to show how much he cared; knowing too well that nothing good would come out from caring too much. But there would always be moments when he forgot.

There was no answer for a while. Jongin only stared at Baekhyun with an unreadable expression on his face. He thought he would receive no answer when Jongin finally did answer.

“I’m just scared,” he mumbled. “It’ll be better to love him knowing that he likes me as a friend rather than to confess just to find that he doesn’t like me that way and potentially ruin what we have right now.”

Internally, Baekhyun groaned in frustration. It had been months and from his talk with Kyungsoo the previous night, he knew that he wanted to be with Jongin too. It really frustrated him because there was nothing he wanted more than his friends’ happiness. Romance was, after all, his favorite genre—especially when it had a happy end. He really wanted to shout ‘but he likes you the same way, idiot!’ but he knew better not to interfere more than he already did. Nothing was worse than ruining a potential relationship just because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut.

“Just… think about it again, Jongin. You’ll never know if you never try,” he said in the end. He gave Jongin a pat on his shoulder before he left for his class. He really wished one of them would gather up the courage and confess already or else he would take things to his own hands. 

***

Baekhyun took his time before he went home. He spent the rest of the day with Kyungsoo—because suddenly Jongin was ‘busy’—and the doe eyed man accompanied him as they spent their time in their favourite café. Their conversations from the previous night were never mentioned, as if they never happened in the first place. Baekhyun was grateful for that, because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about a certain officer too much. He already had a lot to think about and it wouldn’t be good for his heart.

But the clock kept on ticking and it was already 5 in the afternoon. Junmyeon had never forbade him from going out until late as long as he called, but if he didn’t call, the guardian would expect him to go home before dark. He didn’t want to stay up until late because he didn’t know where to go and he also didn’t want to avoid the (hopefully) new couple any longer. He knew he had to face them no matter what. So half heartedly, he went back to his home.

Unlocking the front door slowly, Baekhyun peered inside to see if any of his roommates was in the living room. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he saw the living room was empty. Slowly he closed the door and got inside. He tiptoed to his room, hoping that he might have the chance to calm himself first before he faced Junmyeon or Sehun. He was standing right in front of his door when a sound surprised him.

“You know, it’s considered rude to get inside the house without saying a proper greeting.”

Baekhyun turned to see Junmyeon standing in the hallway. He was wearing a turtle neck sweater and sweatpants despite the fact that it was April and the weather was pretty hot.

“I thought you guys were sleeping,” he reasoned. There was no emotion on Junmyeon’s face and he knew he was in trouble.

“Take a shower. I’ll prepare dinner and we’re going to eat together,” Junmyeon said before he turned around.

“Are you sure? Don’t you want to just order something?” Even though he was scared of Junmyeon, he _really_ couldn’t help but teasing the older man.

“Take your bath, Byun.”

Baekhyun surely didn’t miss the way Junmyeon limped a little as he walked to the kitchen.

“Explain yourself,” Junmyeon said as Sehun quietly got up to clear the table.

They had a very quiet dinner—which was highly unusual, if you lived with Baekhyun. But he was too scared to give snarky comments, so he talked when he was talked to. Junmyeon only talked about unimportant things during dinner while Sehun hadn’t said anything ever since he got out of his room for dinner. Baekhyun kind of wished he would talk to him, since he seemed to be okay that morning, but something must have happened while he was away.

“What do you want me to say?” He mumbled, not because he felt bad, but because he really didn’t see what he did wrong in the first place. He thought that Junmyeon would only get mad a little and be embarrassed a lot. He didn’t expect his guardian to treat him like he had just committed a federal crime!

“Why did you do it?”

“It was a birthday prank, hyung!” He defended himself. “We did it to Jongin and Kyungsoo. It’s only fair if we did it to Sehunnie as well.”

“Did their pranks include toys, Baekhyun? Or something similar?”

The question had Baekhyun silent. Of course Kyungsoo didn’t get sexual prank since he was an angel and Jongin… well, you had to involve Kyungsoo if you wanted to do something like that to Jongin, so, no. But he only wanted to help his two most favorite people in the world! There was nothing wrong with wanting them both to be happy, right?

“Baekhyun,” Junmyeon called out.

Baekhyun raised his head and stared at Junmyeon. “I just wanted to help you both,” he muttered.

“How was it helping?” Junmyeon asked tiredly, resting his head on his hand.

“Well I thought that it would help both of you realize your feelings towards each other! I just wanted you to be happy!”

“I don’t know where you got the idea Baekhyun, but I’m pretty sure people don’t need sex toys to realize their own feelings.”

“Well, I—”

His words were cut when Junmyeon raised his hand. “Just be quiet, for a moment. Okay?” 

The eldest didn’t say anything for a while and it made Baekhyun anxious. Did he read the signals wrong? It couldn’t be. He knew Junmyeon had seen Sehun as a man instead of a kid since a year ago. He also knew that Sehun dreamt of Junmyeon sometimes (don’t ask him how he knew; he just did). He couldn’t be wrong! Or could he?

“Do you not... like him?” He asked quietly. He was on the verge of tearing up because he just didn’t understand why Junmyeon was that mad at him.  
Slowly, Junmyeon raised his head and stared at Baekhyun. “Of course I like him.”

“So? Why is it wrong?” The pink haired boy blinked his eyes quickly to avoid the tears from escaping. “You like Sehunnie, and Sehunnie likes you. I don’t understand why it’s wrong. You like each other so you’re supposed to be together, right? And you’re both my important people and I don’t want you to _not_ be together just because you’re too scared! What if because you didn’t say anything Sehun ended up liking someone else? Or the other way around? Then… then we wouldn’t be together again!” He rambled, not realizing that he had started to panic.

Junmyeon stared at the boy dumbfounded before he walked and sat on the chair next to him. Things like that happened sometimes—when Baekhyun would panic and start acting childlike by crying and throwing a fit. The trigger was still uncertain, but he knew it had something to do with Baekhyun's life before he came to their apartment. He took Baekhyun’s hands in his, knowing that he had triggered a bad memory for Baekhyun. He cursed himself internally for being a little too harsh—even though he knew Baekhyun was still at fault. “Take a deep breath, Baekhyun,” he said comfortingly as he squeezed the slender hands softly. Baekhyun closed his eyes and did as he said.

“I wanted to wait until his graduation, honestly,” Junmyeon said when Baekhyun’s breathing went back to normal. “I am well aware of my feelings for him, even before you are. And I am also aware of his feelings for me before he realized it himself.”

Shock was apparent on Baekhyun’s face. All this time he thought that both of them were oblivious of their feelings towards each other.

“He’s been with me since he was only 14,” Junmyeon continued. “When I took him, I promised that I would give everything for him because what happened to him… well, nobody deserves that kind of thing—especially a child like him. I wanted him to be happy, to be successful, to be a man of his own. He was an insecure little thing at first—always thinking that he was not good enough, that he was not worthy of anything that I gave him. It took me two months to persuade him to buy a new set of clothes, just because he thought that he didn’t deserve to wear anything but those ragged t-shirts. It took me another month to coax him so that he wanted to start going to school again. He had been hurt so much that I’ve only wanted to give him the happiness he deserves, to show him that he is worth everything.”

“When I realized that I liked him more than a guardian, I was kind of… afraid. There are so many things that could go wrong. I didn’t want to hold him back just because of my feelings. Not to mention that he was a minor. If I told him I liked him before he was mature enough, I’m pretty sure that he would have said he liked me too. Not because he actually did, but because he was too young to understand the difference between the love I feel for him and the love I feel for you. It would be too easy to manipulate him, making him believe that he liked me the way I liked him. It scared me…to know there was a possibility of that happening. That was why I intended to wait until he graduate first. I want him to realize that he has options, that I’m not the only one who loves him, and he’s not obligated to love me just because I take care of him.”

Guilt hit Baekhyun as he realized how impulsive and insensitive and ignorant he had been. He should have known better than to meddle in someone else’s relationship! Of course Junmyeon would have known better than him—what made him think that he was smarter than his guardian? The guilt started to eat him alive as he felt his chest tightened. He probably had ruined Junmyeon’s plans. Or worse—he probably ruined their relationship! He felt even worse than before when he thought they didn’t like each other.

“Hey.” He felt hands cupping his cheeks and he was forced to look at his guardian. “Why are you crying again?”

The pink haired boy averted his eyes, feeling embarrassed in front of Junmyeon. He had ruined everything! Sehun’s birthday, his presents, Junmyeon’s plans—everything! “I- I’m sorry,” he whined. “I thought—I thought I was he-helping you.”

“Oh Baekhyunnie,” Junmyeon sighed as he brought the teary eyed boy to his embrace. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you, okay? I was a little bit pissed earlier, but there’s no need to cry. There’s nothing to cry about.”

His kindness only brought more tears down the pale cheeks. “B-but I ruined your relationship with—with Sehunnie,” he cried. No wonder Sehun was so quiet during dinner! He must have hated Baekhyun now!

“Who said that?” Junmyeon asked. When he received no answer, he let out a small chuckle and planted a kiss on Baekhyun’s temple. “You didn’t ruin anything, Baekhyun. We’re fine.”

“Re-really? But you said you wanted to wait and everything and I ruined your plan.”

A shade of pink appeared on Junmyeon’s usual porcelain cheeks. “Well, yeah, but it’s okay. I don’t mind the change of plan. And we’re more than fine, actually. We decide to try out the relationship.”

Baekhyun stopped crying at the words and lifted his head from Junmyeon’s embrace. “Really?” He squeaked—the traces of his sadness disappeared as though they were never there to begin with. “Oh, I’m so happy! I guess the plan does work in the end!” He pecked Junmyeon’s cheek playfully.

“What am I going to do with you?” The guardian asked, lips curled into a fond smile. One second the pink haired boy was a crying mess and the next second he was back to his bubbly self. And was he the same boy who kept on getting arrested in the station for the past few months? The boy who challenged the law by smoking, vandalizing properties, and doing other mischief? He wouldn’t believe it if he was a stranger, looking at how Baekhyun smiled like the most innocent teenager in the world.

“But wait,” Baekhyun frowned. “Why did Sehunnie look so angry then? Why did he ignore me?” If things were going wonderful for Sehun and Junmyeon, there was no reason for his hyung to ignore him the whole time they had dinner.

Another suspicious blush appeared on Junmyeon’s cheeks. “Ah… well, something _happened_ while you were at school…”

Baekhyun let out a hearty laugh, knowing what Junmyeon suggested—or he could at least guess. “Oh you perverts! Where is Sehunnie?” He looked around, not noticing that Sehun had slipped into his room while he was being lectured by Junmyeon.

“I’d rather not see him tonight if I were you,” Junmyeon said, going back to his serious, reserved self. “You should go back to your room. Do your homework and go to sleep.”

“Oh well, I guess I can wait tomorrow,” he said cheerfully. “I’m so happy for you, hyung! I know you two will be happy forever,” he said, giving another peck on Junmyeon’s cheek.

“Thank you, Baekhyun. Now go to your room.”

“Good night, hyung!” Baekhyun said. He skidded happily to his room, feeling like he was in cloud nine. There was nothing that made him happier than to see his two favorite people finally be together romantically. He stopped in front of Sehun’s bedroom door. “Please don’t do it tonight, Sehunnie. I really need some sleep and I think you need it too if you want to go to school tomorrow!” He sang before he ran to his room.

“ _Fuck off!_ ” Sehun shouted from his room.

Baekhyun really couldn’t be happier.

***

Of course school was a torture for Sehun. His little group of friends thought that it was a good idea to tease him all day long. It didn’t help that Baekhyun was making up stories— _guesses_ , the pink haired boy quibbled—about what he might have been doing when he didn’t go to school the previous day. Even then he still had the audacity to pry the truth from Sehun! As if he would tell his friends—Baekhyun, especially; not with that loud mouth he had.

“Oh, shut up Baek and save your words for the officer,” Sehun snapped when he couldn’t take anymore of Baekhyun’s teasing. That effectively shut him up. Sehun quirked an eyebrow, noticing the slight change in Baekhyun’s attitude at the mention of the officer. “Did something happen between you and him that I don’t know of?” He asked. Baekhyun only averted his eyes and started playing with his food.

“Something definitely happened,” Sehun smirked triumphantly. Not every day you could find a thing that could shut Baekhyun up! “What happened, Baek? You know it’s unfair for keeping a secret from me.”

Baekhyun whined, losing his previous sassiness as red appeared on his cheeks.

“We met him on our way back home,” Jongin suddenly chirped.

“Kim you son of a bitch,” Baekhyun muttered under his breath. The cursed man only laughed his ass off, taking no offense in Baekhyun’s words at all.

“You should have seen his face when he met him, Hun. He only stood there like he’d seen a ghost. I should’ve taken a picture if I weren’t too shocked. Never knew Byun had a thing for tall muscular man,” the tanned man teased even further.

The pink haired boy slammed his forehead on the table as he tasted his own medicine. Even dear little Kyungsoo was also laughing along! How unfair the world was!

“Maybe we should help you get your man for your birthday, Baek,” Sehun suddenly said, sitting straight as if he had the brightest idea ever. “Since you’ve been so kindly and thoughtfully helped me, it’s only fair to help you in return.”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” He hissed. “I’m telling Junmyeon hyung if you dare to think of helping me. I don’t need your help.” With that, he sat up abruptly and left his friends who were confused as to why he was getting so worked up.

But he had reason why he was so worked up.

He only had a month left before his birthday, before he turned legal. This meant that he only had a month left to do things that would get him in trouble without actually being in trouble. He wouldn’t get arrested for smoking, drinking, or merely skipping class anymore. If he wanted to be arrested when he was legal, he had to commit an actual crime—no matter how little it was—and he knew he would end up in jail instead of being arrested in the station if you were of legal age, and jail was never a friendly place. It would be simply stupid and ungrateful for him to want to get in jail when there were people who got in for crimes they didn’t commit. 

Then how else was he supposed to get close to Chanyeol? How else was he supposed to tease him and annoy him until he took off the mask he wore so proudly? He couldn’t just come up and talk to the man whenever he wanted to. Chanyeol had no business with him unless he was being caught while doing his weekly childish mischief. He was an adult and Baekhyun, even when he was 18 already, would still be a child in his eyes.

Baekhyun sat on his chair quietly as he waited for the next teacher to get in. He didn’t really have interest in dealing with advanced math that day. He had been so happy the entire day until Sehun decided to burst his bubbles. How could he help him anyway? Baekhyun had always been the smarter one between them both and even he couldn’t think of anything. He just wished that Sehun wouldn’t plan anything that could ruin everything—even when there was nothing to begin with.

On his way back from school—he had refused to go home with Sehun childishly—Baekhyun decided to take a little detour. Instead of walking straight to where their apartment was, he took a left and right before he could see the menacing building. He didn’t go near it, only staring from a few buildings away. Somewhere inside the building would be a certain officer, doing his endless paper works. Baekhyun wondered how the officer acted when he was not in front of him. Whenever he was there, the officer would talk so formally with his colleagues. Did he always act that way? Or maybe there were some people he was closer with… People whom he would take off his mask with. The thought irked him a little, knowing that there was a possibility of other people looking at the small smile other than him. He knew he was being childish, but he couldn’t help it.

The most unmanly yelp escaped from his lips when something nudged his back.

“The fuck!” He shouted when he turned around to see the officer he had been thinking of was standing behind him with his permanent frown. There was another officer too, and Baekhyun recognized him as the officer that had chased his friends before.

“Language, Byun. What are you doing here, acting like a stalker?” Chanyeol said. He had been colliding with this pink haired boy a lot lately.

“None of your business!” Baekhyun spat, his embarrassment made him rude. “And it’s not okay to just poke people with that stick of yours, okay? How do you even know it’s me? It could’ve been anyone else.”

Chanyeol stared at him, not amused. “You’re the only person with pink hair in this town,” he said as the matter of factly.

“You should dye it back to black or brown if you want to go unnoticed while doing your little crime,” his friend chimed in.

“ _Jongdae_.” Chanyeol’s voice came out so deep, so full of command that Baekhyun felt shivers down his spine. Unconsciously, his mind started to imagine Chanyeol using that kind of voice for him instead. The dirty thoughts in his head made his cheeks turn as pink as his hair. “Don’t encourage the boy.”

The other officer, Jongdae, laughed while Chanyeol stared at him in disbelief. “Oh, come on, Park. It’s not like he’s doing anything bad. You don’t mean any harm, do you?” He proceeded to ruffle Baekhyun’s hair, making the boy’s cheeks flushed. Baekhyun decided that he liked the new officer so much.

“I know, right?” He grinned when he was no longer flushing. “He keeps on ruining my fun.”

“He is a little bit of a party pooper, isn’t he? He laughs once in a blue moon.” A surge of relief washed over Baekhyun when he heard that. It made him happy to know that Chanyeol also acted distant with his colleagues.

“I don’t even know he can laugh.”

“Oooh, cheeky aren’t you, boy? I like you.” Jongdae ruffled his hair again and Baekhyun had never been so proud, although deep inside he wished the words came out of the other person. The said man only rolled his eyes in annoyance. The new sight only drove Baekhyun to reel out more expression from him.

“You should catch proper crooks instead of me, officer. God knows what you officers are doing these days.” It seemed like he said something wrong, because Jongdae stopped smiling while Chanyeol only sighed deeply.

“Watch your mouth, Byun,” Chanyeol said. The frown in his face was the most emotional face he made since his little smile. Even though the new expression made Baekhyun happy, he noticed how serious Chanyeol’s tone was. “Not everyone will take your words lightly like me and Jongdae.”

Raising his eyebrows, Baekhyun stared at the way the two officers looked restless all of the sudden. It was pretty off because he was only joking—there was no need for them to act rigid.

“We should head back to the office,” Jongdae said after the awkward moment. “Bye Byun boy.” Without waiting for Chanyeol, he walked pass them.

“He doesn’t look like an officer,” Baekhyun said, not realizing that he said it out loud.

“I know,” Chanyeol smirked cockishly. Baekhyun’s heart stopped at the sight. If you didn’t look at his blue officer, you would think that Chanyeol was still in high school or college at most from the way he grinned. “But he’s a capable one. He’s only too much of a prankster.”

“Ha-have you known him for long?” He cursed himself for stuttering. A man’s smirk was _not_ supposed to make him stutter like a 12 year old girl.

“We entered the academy at the same time. We went to the same high school too, but I didn’t know him much back then.” Chanyeol didn’t know why he told the pink haired boy about it—he only felt like talking more. He couldn’t help but feeling disappointed at the hum Baekhyun gave him as a response. Did he just wish the boy talk more? No, I didn’t.

“I should go home,” the pink haired boy said. “I’ll see you sometimes soon, officer. I hope you’re ready for another paper work.” Although he looked confident outside, he was a total mess on the inside. How was he supposed to be calm when the image of Chanyeol’s smirk was engraved in his mind?

“Don’t,” Chanyeol said, back to his usual expressionless face. “Behave, Byun.”

I will if you make me, Baekhyun thought as Chanyeol walked pass him. The faint smell of his cologne did crazier things to his head.

As Baekhyun walked home, he planned what kind of little crime he could do to drive the officer crazy. It was a futile attempt, though. All he could think about was the beautiful smirk that made his heart beat sporadically.

A smirk like that was definitely a crime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope junmyeon doesn't come off as a groomer? he was very afraid of his own feelings and never took advantage of sehun before, so i hope it's okay. and i relate so much with baekhyun /sigh/ if chanyeol smirked in front of me i would hyperventilate


	4. Car Ride

A week had passed and he was two weeks away from being legal. Baekhyun had yet to think of another little mischief to do. Sehun was having fun in his misery.

“Just skip school with Taemin and play somewhere,” Sehun had suggested once.

“I can’t,” Baekhyun huffed. “Junmyeon hyung will be mad at me.”

“Since when it’s stopping you?”

“Since you fuck his ass,” he hissed, earning a smack on the head from his blushing best friend.

“Gross,” Sehun muttered.

But Baekhyun really felt bad ever since his roommates had started dating. He did still feel guilty at his pranks, despite it being successful. He couldn’t shake off the disappointment on his guardian’s face and it kind of haunted him from doing anything that would result in Junmyeon finding out about what he did. Of course the officer didn’t always call Junmyeon, but he really couldn’t bet on it.

So in a Saturday, thirteen days before he finally turned 18, he lied on his bed, thinking about what to do. He had fallen asleep right after dinner and a certain nightmare from the past woke him up. He couldn’t fall asleep right away, so he just thought of scenarios to get him to sleep. Should he just confess? No…, no it would be too weird and awkward and just pathetic if the officer rejected him. Maybe he should have skipped school again… and then begged the officer to not call Junmyeon. He had been showing more expression lately so he might just have a little bit sympathy. But there was a chance that he wouldn’t be the one who caught Baekhyun (although the pink haired boy knew his patrol schedule by heart—don’t ask how).

He was in the middle of deciding what to do when he heard the sound of a door being closed. It must be Sehun’s door. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was a few minutes to 11, so maybe Sehun had just got back from watching TV in the living room. He was about to ignore it when something caught his ears.

_A moan._

Baekhyun felt his whole body froze. Could it be that his ears were playing tricks on him? He waited silently to make sure that he heard wrong. It was rather late, and he was still a little drowsy from the sleep he had earlier. He was so sure he heard wrong.

But he didn’t.

Another moan was heard from the room next door, followed with a soft thud.

Sitting up, Baekhyun felt himself blushing like a mad man. Although he always said such crude jokes, and could easily talk about sex and what not, he was actually a fucking _virgin_. And he had never heard people having sex directly before, only from the porn he rarely watched. Sure he had fooled around with one or two of his friends before, going as far as jacking each other off, but never sex—no. More blood was rushing to his cheeks when more moans and groans were heard. He wanted so very much to bang on the wall to let his roommates know that he was very much awake and they _should just fucking stop already_ , but he couldn’t. He felt himself glued to the spot, unable to move a finger.

It would be better if he was grossed out by the sounds, but he _wasn’t_. The little bulge that was starting to grow in his pants showed just how much he was affected by the sounds. The way Sehun’s deep groans were mixed with Junmyeon’s breathy moans told him what could be happening in the room next door. And it got worse as images started to form in his imaginative mind, of molded bodies, and tangled legs. Without realizing what he was doing, his slender fingers had started to palm the bulge, adding the slightest pressure to the growing pain. But something stopped him before he got too far.

_“Aaahh—Junmyeon-hyung.”_

Baekhyun jolted from his seat and grabbed his coat. He couldn’t listen to the sounds any longer—no, it would definitely drive him crazy. He had to get out of the house. He had to get out before he started thinking about things he shouldn’t about his guardian and his best friend. There was no way he was going to masturbate by listening to them going at it. Tip-toeing to the front door, he flinched when he heard Sehun’s breathy moan and the sound of something _wet_ as he walked past his roommate’s door.

Walking out of the apartment building, he urged himself to calm down. His heart was still beating fast and he could still feel the warmth on his cheeks. Thankfully the tent inside his sweatpants had gone down the moment he heard Sehun moaning out his lover’s name.

“Fuck,” he whined. “Why do they have to do it now?”

Baekhyun stared at the apartment door once more. He really didn’t want to go back there, and he knew that they wouldn’t be finished anytime soon—at least not from the porn that he had watched. Calling Kyungsoo wasn’t an option because the latter’s parents were quiet strict, so he opted to call his other friend.

“Come on. Pick up,” he mumbled impatiently. When he was greeted with voicemail for the third time, he cursed Jongin to the depth of hell for the umpteenth time. The street was still pretty crowded, since it was Saturday night. People were just going back from meeting their friends; some were still up to another nightly adventure. Deeming that it was still safe to walk alone, Baekhyun decided to go to the convenience store. It was quite far away, but that was the only place he could think of. At least he could buy a cup of instant noodles and coffee while he waited for his friends to finish their little night time rendezvous.

The moon was shining brightly since it was spring. The weather was quite pleasant, with cool night breeze blowing gently. It was not too hot to be uncomfortable, and not too cold to make it sufferable. The pink haired boy reached the convenience store after speed-walking through well known shortcuts. He released a relieved sigh when he saw that the convenience store was still open. There were still a few people loitering there and it made him feel safer. He couldn’t help but feel scared of going outside at night ever since Chanyeol told him about the assault. Even though he had black belt in martial arts, he knew he couldn’t win against men with weapons.

After he bought his hot cup of noodle and hot Americano, he sat on the table in front of the convenience store. He was kind of thankful that he was wearing his coat and sweatpants, not his usual sleeping attire—which was loose t-shirt and very short shorts. At least he didn’t have to worry about being disturbed by perverts or other kind of weird people.

Baekhyun was in the middle of enjoying the hot noodle when a familiar sound reached his ears.

“Byun boy!”

He whipped his head to see a familiar officer—Jongdae, if he was not mistaken. He looked even younger in his casual clothes and much friendlier with his lips curled beautifully.

“Hello,” he greeted when the officer approached him.

“What are you doing here late at night?” Jongdae asked, taking a seat in front of him. His grin made Baekhyun feel happy somehow.

“Running away,” he muttered. Jongdae laughed at his answer, probably thinking that he was joking. “What are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to have a date like a normal person? Oh, I forgot. You’re an officer.”

Instead of feeling offended, Jongdae laughed louder and ruffled his hair. Baekhyun really liked the man by then, since he had been ruffling his hair a lot. “Cheeky brat,” the officer scolded playfully. “I want to buy something. Wait here.” As abrupt as his appearance, the officer bolted inside the store without giving Baekhyun a chance to answer. Even though he kind of wished another officer would show up, he was still happy nonetheless that he had company. He had finished his cup ramen when Jongdae returned with a bag full of things.

“So,” he started as he sat down. “Why are you here alone?”

“I’ve told you. I’m running away,” Baekhyun said dramatically.

“Nobody runs away without bringing anything,” Jongdae chided. He took out a bar of chocolate from his bag and handed it to Baekhyun. “Here. To cheer you up.” Happily, Baekhyun took the chocolate bar and immediately opened it. He had always had sweet tooth.

“You don’t really look like a bad boy right now,” Jongdae commented after observing the boy for a while. With his pale cheeks adorned in soft pink, his mouth filled with chocolate, and eyes turned into crescents, Baekhyun looked like a normal boy—like he was still in middle school even. He couldn’t help but feel drawn to the boy.

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun asked with a pout, making Jongdae coo at him. His pout grew because he did not enjoy being looked down like he was some kind of a kid.

“You don’t look like the same guy we chased for skipping school, smoking, and drawing graffiti at the park,” the officer said. The pink haired boy rolled his eyes at his comments.

“I’m not a bad boy. You guys are just being way too nosy, poking your nose in everyone’s business,” he said. Jongdae laughed loudly again, and Baekhyun unconsciously smiled at his infectious laugh.

“You’re committing crimes, Byun. Our job is to catch little brats like you.”

“There are more serious problems, officer. Focus on that,” the pink haired boy spat playfully.

“Oh, we do. But that doesn’t mean we can’t focus on brats like you too.”

Baekhyun stuck his tongue out childishly before he turned his gaze to the street. It had quieted down a little, as the midnight approached. There was the sound of phone ringing and when he looked, the officer in front of him was talking to someone in his phone in a hushed tone, so he didn’t really pay attention to his conversation. It was rude anyway to listen to other’s conversation, even when they were talking right in front of you.

Baekhyun was too lost in his memories of quiet nights like that one, nights that he used to detest, that he flinched when he felt Jongdae touched his arm softly.

“Sorry,” the officer grinned. “I called you, but you didn’t listen.”

“Oh. Sorry I was… thinking of something. What’s wrong?”

“I asked you if you’re going home anytime soon,” Jongdae repeated. “It’s twelve already. It’s dangerous if you stay out longer, especially when you’re alone.”

“But I have an officer to protect me,” he teased. But Jongdae was not laughing like he was before. In fact, now that Baekhyun looked at him closely, he had a troubled look on his face. There was concern…, laced with… fear? He couldn’t really tell, but he knew something was wrong. “Are you okay?” He asked. The smile Jongdae gave him told him the answer.

“Yeah,” the officer lied. “I just have to go somewhere.”

“I’ll be fine alone,” Baekhyun said immediately. Maybe the officer was concerned because he had to leave Baekhyun alone. That was why he looked troubled. “You can go if you want. My apartment is near.”

Jongdae rolled his eyes and pinched Baekhyun’s nose lightly. “Stupid. You really think I’m going to let you walk alone? Of course not. It's too dangerous for you to walk.”

“Oh,” was all that Baekhyun said. He didn’t really expect Jongdae to walk him home.

“I called Chanyeol to drive you home.”

He really didn’t expect that.

Baekhyun stared at Jongdae in disbelief; his mouth was slightly opened at the sudden news. Jongdae called Chanyeol. For him. To walk him home. _Chanyeol._ As in Chanyeol the officer he was having a wild crush on. And he was going to walk him home. He hyperventilated.

“W-why?” He stuttered.

Jongdae looked at the pink haired boy that became so quiet all of the sudden. He had originally thought that Baekhyun would say something rude as usual, since he thought the boy hated his colleague. He had seen those two exchanged sarcasm every time they met—well, sarcasm in Baekhyun’s case, while Chanyeol only stared at him with his permanent poker face or frown—so he thought the boy would refuse and start to talk shit as he usually did. The little boy in front of him was not being sarcastic or rude or bratty at all—he was flustered, and is that blush on his face? 

_Well, this is interesting,_ Jongdae thought as he smiled.

“Like I said, I have to go somewhere, and I think you’re more comfortable with Chanyeol than other officer,” he said. “Unless… you want me to cancel?” He wasn’t really going to do that—he just wanted to reel another reaction from the teenager.

“No!” Baekhyun almost shouted. Bingo. “I- I mean, he’s probably already on his way a-and it’ll be bothersome so…” the pink haired boy muttered, eyes looking at everywhere but Jongdae.

“How thoughtful,” he teased the blushing boy.

“But I can go back on my own too!” Baekhyun said when he realized that Jongdae was teasing him. “I’m perfectly capable of doing that. I’ve been walking back home alone for hundreds of times already.”

“Nah, don’t worry, Byun. It’s our job as officers to protect you, no?”

Biting his lower lip, Baekhyun turned his eyes away from Jongdae, not wanting to embarrass himself even more. Although he was very pleased that he would meet the rigid officer very soon, a part of him couldn’t help but worry. What if Chanyeol was pissed because he had to take a brat like Baekhyun home when it was not his responsibility? What if he did something that would make Chanyeol hate him? What if by the time he got back, those two was still going at it? Would Chanyeol wait for him then? But he would ask questions and it would be too fucking embarrassing!

He was too caught up in his mind that he didn’t realize a car pulled up near them.

“Oh, you’re here! That was fast.”

Baekhyun flinched when he heard Jongdae’s words. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Chanyeol. His heart was beating way too fast that he knew he would malfunction if he looked now.

“You’re lucky I was out,” Chanyeol said, voice lacked in emotion but still did wonders to Baekhyun’s poor heart.

“Byun.”

The pink haired boy flinched when Chanyeol called him. Slowly, he turned to look at the officer. And God, had spring night always been that hot? He could feel himself sweating at the sight of Chanyeol, standing in his hoodie and black ripped jeans. How could someone look that good in such simple clothes? And with his hair not styled up to perfection like it usually did, Chanyeol was beyond stunning.

“Hi,” he muttered, cursing at himself for not being able to say anything better.

Chanyeol quirked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. Instead, he returned to his co-worker. “I need to talk to you for a sec.”

“Stay here, Byun boy. We won’t take long,” Jongdae said cheerfully. But Baekhyun noticed the seriousness on his face as soon as he stood up to talk to Chanyeol privately. Something must have happened for the playful officer to look that serious. Maybe it had something to do with the previous phone call? Baekhyun didn’t give it more thoughts as he had more important things to think about.

Like how was he supposed to act normal once he was alone with Chanyeol.

And the fact that he was going to ride in his car—just with him.

God, he was definitely not going to survive the night. Curse Junmyeon and Sehun for being such horny assholes in the middle of the night!

After a few minutes, the two officers came back, still with seriousness plastered on their faces. But Jongdae’s face lit up as soon as he stood in front of Baekhyun.

“I’ve got to go now, Byun. Be careful, okay?”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but sense that Jongdae was teasing him with his words. “Okay. Thanks for accompanying me, Jongdae-ssi. Oh, and for the chocolate.”

“Awh, look at you being polite all of the sudden,” Jongdae cooed, making Baekhyun blush even more. “No worries. Just don’t run away in the middle of the night again, okay?” He ruffled Baekhyun’s hair once more.

“No promises,” Baekhyun grinned. And with that, the playful officer left, leaving Baekhyun alone with a certain tall officer.

“Let’s go.”

The deep voice made Baekhyun jump in surprise. As he turned, he saw Chanyeol had already walked to his car. He followed him after a moment of hesitation, knowing that he had to either get into the car with the older man, or walk on his own in the middle of the night.

“Um, Chanyeol-ssi?” The little boy asked once he buckled his seatbelt.

Chanyeol stared at him in surprise—Jongdae was right, the boy was suddenly being polite. It was quite odd, but he was grateful nonetheless. He was not in the mood to deal with teenage tantrums in the middle of the night. “What is it?” He asked as he turned on the ignition. The gentle sound of a love song that played on the radio immediately filled their ears. The boy on the passenger seat only looked at him with a hesitated look on his face before he turned his head towards the window.

“You know the way to my house, don’t you?” Baekhyun asked. Chanyeol knew that it was not what he wanted to say, but he let it slide.

“Of course. Kind of hard to forget when I have written it down for more than 10 times,” he replied, hoping that his little joke wouldn’t make Baekhyun feel awkward. It worked though, since there was a little smile on the boy’s face.

The ride was very quiet at first, only filled with songs on the radio. It would take a while since they couldn’t take shortcuts like Baekhyun did earlier when he was walking. The pink haired boy had spent most of the car ride thinking of what to say. And also trying to calm the wild butterflies in his stomach. They completely went wild at the sight of Chanyeol driving his car. And the smell of pine and musk that Baekhyun knew belonged to the officer. God, he was not going to recover from the car ride, ever. It would haunt him for the rest of his days, either as the sweetest memory he had ever had, or the most bitter one. They were half way to the apartment when Baekhyun talked again, finally finding the courage to do so.

“I’m sorry you have to deal with me. I already told Jongdae-ssi that I can go home on my own, but he still called you.”

“It’s okay. I was on my way back too.”

“Do you live near my apartment?” Baekhyun asked curiously. Maybe it was the right time to know more about the tall officer. He decided to get as much information as he could in the short car ride.

“Not that far away,” Chanyeol said, but gave no further information.

“Were you on a date?” The question was quite too personal, but Baekhyun decided to ask anyway. There was no harm in trying, he thought. To his surprise, Chanyeol answered.

“No. I went to my mom’s place.”

Baekhyun hummed in acknowledgment. He couldn’t help but feel happy to know that Chanyeol was not on a date—at least that day.

“Jongdae said you ran away,” Chanyeol started. From his peripheral vision, he could see the pink haired boy nodded slowly. “From what?”

Instead of answering with his usual sassy words, Baekhyun decided to just tell him the truth. If he wanted to get closer to the officer, he thought he had to be a little bit more pleasant than usual. He didn’t have much time left anyway, and to waste the very little time he had on being sassy and rude would be stupid.

“From Junmyeon hyung and Sehunnie.”

“Why?”

Should Baekhyun tell him everything? It would definitely be awkward if he did, but what else should he say? He bit his lower lip and stole a glance at Chanyeol. He didn’t look like he was being nosy, nor he looked like he didn’t care. He only looked… like an officer, asking because it was needed.

“They’re… they’re using the… Sehun’s gift…I guess,” he murmured, feeling his cheeks burnt at the memory of those sinful moans and other obscene noises.

“What?” Chanyeol stared at him since the light was red. In the minimum light, he could still see the faint pink of the boy’s cheeks, mimicking his hair. “Oh,” he mumbled when he realized what Baekhyun meant. _Well this is awkward,_ he thought, silently cursing himself for asking. He was never one to ask people unless it was necessary, but when his co-worker said that Baekhyun was running away, he couldn’t help but feel concerned. Guess that was what he got once he started to be nosy. They both went silent again, not knowing what to say after the awkward answer. Soon, they arrived in front of the apartment. But Baekhyun made no move.

“This is the place, right?” Chanyeol asked, although he was 100% sure. He really had memorized the address from the many times he had written it down on Baekhyun’s files.

“Yeah. But—it’s just…,” Baekhyun didn’t continue his words and instead looked at the hands on his lap. It was so embarrassing and it was all Junmyeon and Sehun’s fault for being such horny rabbits. He made a mental note to ask Junmyeon to buy him something as compensation.

“What’s wrong?” The tone Chanyeol used was so gentle that it made Baekhyun look at him in an instant, just to make sure that it was Chanyeol who spoke. The look on the officer's face was not as gentle as his voice, but it was also not the usual cold, indifferent stare that Baekhyun got. It was different, but Baekhyun couldn't decipher what was the meaning behind that look.

“No… I-I just—”

“Take a deep breath. Use your words clearly.” Though his tone was still gentle, Baekhyun noticed the authoritative undertone it had and he felt himself shudder for a moment. He did as he was told and averted his eyes again.

“What if they’re still not done?” He whispered, cheeks were flaming red by then.

Chanyeol froze for a moment at what Baekhyun implied. Originally he thought it was kind of silly when Baekhyun said he was running away just because his roommates were having sex. Sure it was not a pleasant thing to hear, but you didn’t really have to run away, right? And ever since Chanyeol had known Baekhyun, he had always thought that the boy was the kind of teenagers that were…well, being teenagers with all their little mischief. He totally didn’t expect to see the boy so flustered just because of sex. The newfound innocent side made him feel something weird, like he needed to protect the boy, to keep him safe.

“Well… Just go to bed, then? Put on your ear pods or something?” Chanyeol suggested, trying to shake off the odd thought because _no, he was just a boy._

“But it’s so… _so embarrassing_. And to use my ear pods I’d have to get into my room and I’d definitely hear them.”

Then something that Baekhyun thought would never happen actually happened.

Chanyeol chuckled.

It was so deep, so pleasant, that for a moment Baekhyun was only sitting there, staring at the man’s stunning face turned more beautiful as he laughed. The corners of his lips were stretched just a little, and his eyes twitched slightly and it was the most attractive way of laughing that Baekhyun had ever seen. His heart was about to combust from the sight alone, and his cheeks were burnt from how red they were.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol said when he realized Baekhyun was staring at him. He wondered since when had it become easy for him to just lose control in front of the pink haired boy.

“Did you just laugh at me?” He asked once he regained his sanity.

“Well, to think that a brat like you get flustered at the sound of his friends being intimate is kind of amusing.”

Baekhyun huffed and pouted. “Junmyeon hyung is like a parent for me. Of course it’s weird. And I never thought Sehunnie would be the type to moan.”

“Okay, okay. TMI and it’s inappropriate to talk about this kind of things with a kid like you,” Chanyeol teased.

Baekhyun decided that Chanyeol at night was so much better than Officer Chanyeol at day. He had never thought that there would come a day when Chanyeol would joke around with him. Maybe his feeling was not so hopeless after all. He couldn't help but let a little bud of hope appeared in his heart, ready to blossom.

“I didn’t know you’re capable of laughing,” he said to change the mood.

“Here comes your annoying side,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Where did the polite and flustered kid go?”

“Dead,” Baekhyun chided, sticking out his tongue like an actual kid. “Ugh I really don’t want to go now,” he groaned.

Chanyeol smiled at the sight unconsciously. Of course the polite and flustered Baekhyun was better for his nerves and blood pressure, but for some reason he liked the usual Baekhyun more, with all his childish shenanigans and loud voice.

 _Wait, not 'like',_ he mentally scolded himself. _Preferred. It’s kind of creepy if he’s too quiet._

“Wait a little longer then, if you’re not sure,” Chanyeol said to avert his thoughts from thinking too much.

The pink haired boy looked at him with wide eyes. “Is it okay? I mean, are you okay with waiting a little longer?”

“Well I am dead tired,” he said, earning an eye roll from the boy. “But I promised Jongdae I’d take you home safely.”

Baekhyun smiled at his words. They were enveloped in silence again, as the love song on the radio played softly in the background. The silence was no longer awkward though, in fact it was more welcomed. The road was almost empty, since the apartment was not located on the main road. Sneakily, Baekhyun glanced at the man next to him. The officer was looking out of the window, providing Baekhyun his perfect side profile. There was a little frown in the middle of his eyebrows, and the boy couldn’t help but wonder how such a negative emotion only made the face more attractive.

“Have you found the people who assaulted the teenagers?” Baekhyun decided to ask. If he was going to wait a little longer, he wanted to hear more of the officer’s voice, to record the deep voice inside his head and play it over and over again every time he couldn't see him.

“Not yet,” Chanyeol replied. His infamous frown made its way back to his forehead. “Both of the assaults were done in the road where there was no surveillance camera. The victims claimed they didn’t see anything suspicious before two hooded figures came up to them and hit them. They were both nice kids too, so it’s not because someone held a grudge against them.”

“That’s horrible,” the boy muttered. “Are they okay, though? The victims?”

“They’ve been discharged from the hospital. One of them is still traumatized, but he’s been going to a therapist, so hopefully he’ll be fine. But both of them are still too scared to go to school.”

Baekhyun hummed, really hoping that both boys would recover. It was not an easy thing to recover from a trauma caused by an assault. He knew that too well.

“That’s why you should stop going out at night,” Chanyeol suddenly said, finally looking at him. “You can never know what kind of danger lurking around.”

“I-I can defend myself just fine,” he stuttered. God, why did he have to embarrass himself over and over again?

But Chanyeol didn’t mock him or got mad at him for being so carefree—he only stared at him with that serious look on his face. After a while the serious look disappeared, replaced with the previous stare that was still so foreign to Baekhyun. “I know. But it doesn’t mean that you can be careless.”

Both of them fell into silence again, not knowing what to say. The officer stared at him for a little while before he continued gazing outside of the window. Baekhyun thought it was futile to try calming his heart, so he only stayed quiet, letting his heart beat as loud as it wanted.

It had been more than an hour since he left the house. The two horny rabbits were probably done by then, but Baekhyun didn’t want to leave the comfort of the car so soon. Why would he leave when he was sitting so close with his crush? When they were so close not because he was in trouble? When they were having normal conversation as if they were normal acquaintances? When he could smell the waft of his cologne—the smell so manly and alluring that it intoxicated his brain?

But he knew he couldn’t stay forever.

“I think I should go now,” he said quietly.

For an unknown reason, Chanyeol felt disappointment inside of him. He had tried to think of something to say the whole time, but didn’t know what because he wasn’t so sure what teenagers like Baekhyun talked about these days. He kind of regretted thinking for so long. It was kind of odd, because four months prior, he would do anything to make the boy shut up every time he saw him on the station. Yet now, since God knows when, he kind of wanted the boy to talk more. Was it because he realized that the boy’s bad side was just a façade? 

He really needed to stop thinking too much.

“Are you sure?” He asked, the lack of emotion on his face was in contrast with what was going on in his head.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s been an hour already. And… you know, I shouldn’t burden you longer.”

“It’s my responsibility.”

There was a pang of disappointment inside Baekhyun’s heart at the officer’s words. Of course it was just because he was a responsible adult—a responsible officer. What made Baekhyun think that he would do this kind of thing willingly? To drive a kid and wait for him just because his roommates were having sex?

“Sure, officer,” he mumbled. The hint of sadness in his voice went unnoticed. “Thank you for driving me back and letting me wait here. I’m sorry for taking so much of your time.”  
Four months ago Baekhyun would be laughing at the frown on the officer’s face. Now all he wanted to do was to kiss it away.

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol said. “You’re not a burden.”

“Wait until I see you next week, officer,” the boy said cheekily. Chanyeol noticed the façade once more, a mask to hide his feelings. “Night, officer.” Baekhyun opened the door and jumped out of the car. His heart stopped beating when he heard Chanyeol’s voice just a second before the door was closed.

“Good night, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun’s heart stopped beating for the umpteenth time that night. He could feel his cheeks heating up at the sound of Chanyeol’s deep voice.

It was the first time he called Baekhyun by his name.

Could the night get even more crazier?

Baekhyun waved like a stupid boy before he walked inside the apartment, totally dazed by the different emotions inside his heart. He noticed that Chanyeol had only left once he was inside. His stomach churned more at the simple gesture, scolding himself for thinking too much about it when Chanyeol only did it because he was a responsible officer. He couldn’t help but slumped on the floor once he was inside the elevator.

It was a wild night. So much things happened in the span of two hours, yet every single thing made Baekhyun's heart beat faster and faster, until it completely stopped at the realisation he got the moment Chanyeol said his name.

First, Sehun moaned. And his roommates were having sex while he was just next door. Second, Jongdae called Chanyeol to drive him home, and the man actually came, even when he had no responsiblity whatsoever. Third, the car ride was awkward as fuck, but it was also something that Baekhyun would do again and again despite the awkwardness. And the car smelled so much like Chanyeol he could drown in the scent forever. And Chanyeol looked fucking good while driving; it was insane how someone could look that good while driving. Fourth, Chanyeol fucking laughed. It was just a small chuckle, and the car was too dark to actually see his face, but from what he could make out in the dim lighting, he looked sinfully attractive when he was laughing, even with the way his eyes twitched a little. Fifth, Chanyeol called him by his first name. And his name had never sounded more delightful coming out of someone’s lips.

Sixth, Baekhyun was undeniably in love.

The pink haired boy opened the door with a loud sigh. All he wanted to do was to sleep. He would have the next day to think about what had happened that night. But now, he only wanted to sleep with the image of Chanyeol laughing next to him, calling his name.

“Fuck,” he heard someone cursed, making him jump in surprise. “What the—Baekhyun?! What are you doing outside at this hour?” Junmyeon was in the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand. He was only dressed in shorts that Baekhyun was very certain not his.

Staring at Junmyeon in disbelief, he walked into his guardian until he was standing in front of him. “Next time, please, _please,_ don’t have sex while I’m here.” He didn’t wait for Junmyeon to get out of his shock and left the flabbergasted man in the kitchen. He couldn’t even make snarky comments when he walked past Sehun’s slightly opened door. Once he was inside the comfort of his room, he fell straight to bed and fell asleep in a second.

His dream consisted of night car ride, and a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you're happy with this update, even though just for a tiny bit. Would love to see your opinions and how you think they'll turn out ❤


	5. Club Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: attempted rape, spiked drink. Please don't read if you're uncomfortable with it :(

In a blink of an eye, his birthday was around the corner.

And in the span of thirteen days since his last encounter with Chanyeol, he had failed to see the man again.

He had skipped school on the next Thursday since the car ride, hanging out with Taemin and his rebel of friends where they smoked and he only watched—and no, it had _nothing_ to do with the fact that Chanyeol hated the cigarette smoke scent on him. As expected, they were busted and Baekhyun had purposely slowed down, making it easier for him to be caught.

How disappointed he was when he was caught by another officer! The only reason Junmyeon wasn’t called was because Jongdae was there, and he took over Baekhyun’s case from the other officer. He earned an earful of lectures for an hour and extra information about a certain officer’s whereabouts, although Baekhyun had pretended to not be interested. Jongdae told him that Chanyeol was taking the day off, which was why he wasn’t the one who caught Baekhyun (yes, he did skip school and go to the area of Chanyeol’s usual patrol route intentionally). His heart sank as he walked home that day—another plan had failed miserably.

“Why are you so gloomy?”

Baekhyun lifted his head up from the romance he was currently reading and saw Junmyeon entering the apartment.

“No reason,” he muttered before staring at him accusingly. “Why are you so late?”

Junmyeon sighed, knowing very well that his two boys got worried if he got home late without letting them know. “Meeting. It was extended because some guys decided to be assholes.” He plopped down next to Baekhyun on the sofa and turned the TV on. It was the local news—the anchor was talking about the latest assault by the mysterious gang. He had heard about it at his office, though he was always too busy to pay attention. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. Have you eaten dinner?”

The pink haired boy nodded and scooted closer to him. “Sehun cooked for us. He left you some in the fridge.”

At the mention of his lover, Junmyeon noticed that the latter wasn’t there. It was quite odd, because usually he would be waiting for him with Baekhyun. “Where is he by the way?”

“Room. There’s an assignment that he forgot to do.”

Junmyeon hummed an answer, thinking that it would be better to see him later after he had finished his homework. It had been a rough day and he knew if he entered the room, the assignment would be forgotten in the blink of an eye.

“What do you want to do for your birthday?” He suddenly asked, fingers threading the pink strands mindlessly. He earned a groan as an answer and it made him chuckle. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to be an adult,” Baekhyun mumbled. The laugh that escaped from Junmyeon’s lips only made him pout. “I’m serious.”

“Oh, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon pinched Baekhyun’s cheeks lovingly. “18 is not an adult yet. Sure in the eye of the law you are, but you haven’t even finished high school.”

“Well I don’t want to be an adult in the eye of the law,” he protested stubbornly, earning an eye roll from Junmyeon.

“You will be, whether you like it or not.” An incoherent grumble was heard once more as Baekhyun buried his head on Junmyeon’s chest. They both stayed that way quietly, with Junmyeon running his fingers on Baekhyun’s hair. The local news served as a white noise in the background, giving a sense of comfort in their silence.

“It’s been almost four years since I came here,” Baekhyun suddenly said, breaking the silence with his small voice.

“Has it now?”

Baekhyun hummed. “Have you ever regretted it? Taking me in?”

The older stared at him with nothing but fondness in his eyes. “Of course not. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.” Baekhyun laughed at his cheesiness, but he didn’t care if it was cheesy because it was the truth. “I hope you feel the same way, about staying here.”

“Of course!” The pink haired boy was fast to answer, lifting his head from Junmyeon’s chest to show how serious he was before he laid his head back on the sturdy chest. He looked so adorable doing so, so childlike and innocent, that his next words took Junmyeon by surprise. “I can’t imagine how it would be if you hadn’t asked me to come with you that night. I’d probably end up in a whore house somewhere or dead in an alley.”

“Don’t say that,” Junmyeon frowned. He hated how Baekhyun always seemed to think of the worst scenarios for his life, as if nothing good would happen.

“Dad said I’d make a pretty whore though.”

Junmyeon stared at Baekhyun in surprise. It wasn’t the first time he had mentioned about his parents, but it was the first time he said something that horrible. Even after almost four years, Baekhyun had said very little about his life prior to living with Junmyeon. He had mentioned that his parents were in Bucheon, and probably wouldn’t look for him and he’d like to think that they were gone sometimes. But that was all—he had never said anything bad about them, until that night. And it scared Junmyeon to think of what kind of life Baekhyun had before he ran away.

“Baek…”

“I wonder how he’s doing now,” Baekhyun continued, sitting straight to change the TV channel. He sounded so nonchalant, as if he was talking about the spring breeze, but Junmyeon could see behind his pretence. “Has he got the money he wanted so much? Is mom still with him? I’m sure she is, if she’s not dead yet. She’ll never leave him on her own.”

A silent tear escaped Baekhyun’s eye and he was quick to wipe it off, but Junmyeon had seen it. He brought Baekhyun back to his embrace and pressed a kiss on top of his head.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” he mumbled. The boy only nodded.

It was at times like this that Junmyeon was grateful he took Baekhyun in. He was just a boy, so fragile and soft, yet he had been treated wrongly for most of his life. Shiver was running down his spine as the imagery the boy’s past life came back to his mind. How horrible was the boy’s father until he could refer his own son as a _whore?_ He was just fourteen when Junmyeon found him! And what would have happened if he hadn’t left? What would have happened if Junmyeon turned his back? He couldn’t imagine—he didn’t want to imagine. All he knew was that Baekhyun was with him now, and hopefully, living a much better life even though it was still far from what he actually deserved.

“I want to eat barbeque,” Baekhyun mumbled before he looked up at Junmyeon. “For my birthday. Let’s eat barbeque with everyone.”

“Sure, Baek,” Junmyeon smiled. “We can go to that barbeque place you love.”

“Can I go with Taeminnie the day before though? He and the other guys are going to throw me a party.”

Junmyeon frowned at that. He had never been fond of Taemin, since he was there most of the time when Baekhyun did something bad. And from what he had heard from Sehun, he was not exactly a decent boy. But the look on Baekhyun’s eyes was so hopeful that he didn’t find it in his heart to say no.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. It’s a surprise.”

“Just… be safe, okay? And be back before midnight.” Baekhyun shot him a look. “Okay, okay. You can stay over at their house—but let me know the address, okay? And turn your phone on the whole time. And stay away from cigarettes and alcohol and—”

“God, hyung!” Baekhyun whined, cutting Junmyeon’s rambles. “I’m not going now! Safe your speech for Saturday when I’m actually going!” He laughed.

The sight made Junmyeon smile—that was the Baekhyun he knew, the Baekhyun he cherished dearly. Although he was still worried because of the people Baekhyun going with, at least the pink haired boy was happy.

And that was what really matter to him.

“Aren’t you going with Baekhyun this Saturday?”

Sehun looked up from his notebook at the question. “With Taemin?” Junmyeon nodded. “I’m not invited. I don’t think they like me as much as they like him.”

Junmyeon bit his lower lip as he sat down on Sehun’s bed. The frown on his face told Sehun that something was wrong.

“Are you worried about him going?”

“I’m always worried when it comes to the both of you,” the elder laughed humorlessly. “Him, especially, since he attracts a lot of trouble lately. And I don’t like that boy he’s going with.”

“Don’t let Baek go, then?”

“I can’t say no to him, especially when it’s the only thing he asked for his birthday.”

Sehun stood up from his chair and sat next to Junmyeon. “You and your inability to say no,” he teased, not referring to what Junmyeon had just said, but something else, and earned a gentle smack on his arm.

“He just…,” Junmyeon started, but stopped before he looked at Sehun intently. “Has he ever talked to you about his parents?”

The question made Sehun raise his eyebrows in surprise. “Only a couple of times, about how he hates them. But he never told me why.”

“He said something very… unsettling about his father yesterday. I mean, I know he didn’t have the greatest life back there in Bucheon, or else he wouldn’t be here. But what he said made me really worry,” he covered his face with his hands. “I can’t help but think of the life he had before he came here, about the things he had gone through.”

Wrapping an arm around Junmyeon’s waist, Sehun rested his head on his shoulder, offering him comfort. He had never really thought about Baekhyun’s life before, thinking that they probably shared the similar situation. And he knew better than anyone to not ask about someone’s family, especially the one they tried to run away from. That was why he never pried.

“The important thing is he’s happy with us now,” Sehun said softly after a while. “And if he doesn’t want to tell us more about his past, then I think it’s okay. Whatever happened to him in the past, it can’t get to him anymore. As long as he’s not affected by it now, I don’t think you need to worry yourself sick thinking about it.”

The elder let out a deep sigh as he leaned back to Sehun’s head. “You’re right,” he mumbled. “I just wish that he’s happy with his life now, with us.”

“Of course he is,” Sehun kissed his clothed shoulder innocently. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to both of us, hyung, I’m sure of that. So please stop worrying about it.”

Junmyeon laughed and pecked his lover back. “You’re so mature for your age sometimes. Hard to believe you’re still 18, especially with this giant body of yours.” Sehun only stuck out his tongue, showing his true age.

They both sat quietly for a while, thinking about their pink haired flat mate. One was still thinking about his past, while the other was thinking of his possible future.

“Sehun,” Junmyeon breathed out after a while. “What are you doing?” He asked when the other only hummed as an answer.

“… Nothing.”

“Then why’s your hand inside my shirt?”

“…”

Junmyeon detached himself from his lover and hit him lightly on the head. “You know the rule. No sex until you graduate.” It was a new rule they established, after that unfortunate night where Baekhyun had gone out in the middle of the night to God knows where with God knows who. The fear of it happening again was what made Junmyeon make the rule, much to Sehun’s dismay. All he wanted was for the boys to be safe and comfortable in his home and if Baekhyun was uncomfortable with their being intimate, then he wouldn’t do it.

The infamous pout made an appearance on Sehun’s face, and it took everything in Junmyeon to not succumb to his charm. Damn Sehun and his adorableness.

“Come on. Finish your assignment. I’ll cook dinner,” he said sternly before pulling Sehun up to his feet. Sehun made an incoherent grumble, but complied anyway and sat on his chair. The sight made Junmyeon let out a chuckle.

“Finish before dinner, okay?” He planted the softest kiss on Sehun’s temple and headed out of the room. “I’m making your favorite tonight.” The grin he saw before he closed the door told him that Sehun would do what he asked for anyway. It was so easy to make him happy sometimes.

Baekhyun was standing in front of his mirror, checking out the fourth outfit he had tried on that evening. It was finally Saturday, a day before his 18th birthday, and Taemin would pick him up in 30 minutes. He had spent the whole one and a half hour changing his outfit and makeup. He didn’t know where they would take him yet, but he figured it would be somewhere where he needed to look decent and mature. He always needed to look mature when hanging out with this particular circle of friends.

He pouted a little after pondering for a while. Maybe it wasn’t a good choice to wear his ripped jeans. Although it did make him look really good—his ass, mostly—it also made him look a little _slutty_ since his makeup was already pretty sultry. The last thing he wanted was to be mistaken as a sex worker by creepy middle aged men. And his hoodie would make him sweat like a sinner in church if they went to the club, and sweating is yucky. Sighing for the umpteenth time that evening, he took off his hoodie and jeans and started to rummage his closet again.

“Hey, Baek, can I come in?” Sehun suddenly asked from the other side of the door.

“Yeah, sure.”

A low whistle was heard once the door was opened. “Where are you going just in your boxers?”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and threw a random t-shirt to Sehun’s direction—and failed miserably. “I’m not done yet. I don’t know which pants I should wear.”

“Where are you going anyway?”

Baekhyun took out a silky dark blue shirt and put it on. He rarely wore it since it was quite pricey—one of Junmyeon’s Christmas gifts last December—but he thought it would be okay to wear it since that night was a special occasion. “No idea. But it’s better to be overdressed than under,” he muttered, continuing his pursue of the perfect pants.

“Just wear your black jeans—the straight one we bought with Jongin. Your shirt is already quite flashy so I don’t think you need anything too much down there,” Sehun suggested as he lied on Baekhyun’s bed.

“It makes my ass look flat.”

“Are you planning on scoring someone tonight?” Baekhyun shook his head. “Then it doesn’t matter what your ass look like. And the damn shirt will cover it anyway. Just wear that pants before you change your mind again.”

After he wore his black pants, he stood in front of the mirror again. The darkness of the shirt really made his skin look really fair, and the material was hanging loosely on his body in such seductive way. And although the pair of pants he wore wasn’t that tight, it still hugged his shaped thighs nicely.

Finally feeling satisfied with his outfit, he checked his makeup once more. He wore dark brown eye shadow on his lids, topped with the softest touch of iridescent glitter. He also wore eyeliner to further accentuate his droopy eyes, knowing how much compliment he got from them. The look was completed with a subtle touch of lip tint, topped with the tiniest bit of gloss.

“How do I look?” He asked Sehun once he deemed he looked good enough. The other boy was frowning, as if thinking hardly at the question.

“You look good,” Sehun finally answered. It might not seem like the best compliment, but it was a lot, coming from Sehun.

“Is my makeup too much? Or should I add more?”

“No, it’s enough already. And why are you so nervous about going out with Taemin anyway?” Sehun asked, irritated by then because Taemin and his gang was seriously not worth getting nervous about.

“It’s the first time they invited me to go out at night, and to celebrate my birthday too. I don’t want to look embarrassing or anything,” Baekhyun mumbled as he wore his shoes. “Where’s hyung?”

“Watching TV. Well, more like pretending to since he’s already worrying about you even before you leave,” Sehun snickered. Sighing again, Baekhyun took his phone and wallet before he got out of the room. He knew he had to talk to Junmyeon before he left or else his guardian wouldn’t be able to close his eyes that night.

As Sehun had told him, Junmyeon was sitting on the couch while watching TV. But the way his legs kept on moving told Baekhyun that he was only pretending to watch, while his mind was worrying over something that hadn’t happened yet.

“Hey, hyung,” he said as he plopped down beside him.

“Oh, Baek. Are you leaving soon?”

“Yeah. Just need to wait for Taemin to pick me up.”

“Okay. You know the rules, right?” Junmyeon asked sharply, earning a playful eye roll from the pink haired boy.

“Text you once I know where we’re going. Keep my phone on every time. Answer your calls and texts. Let you know where I’ll be staying the night,” he said in the most monotone voice he could muster. He earned a disapproving look from his guardian, but he could hear Sehun’s stifled laugh so he was pretty content.

“Stop joking around, Baekhyun, or else I’ll change my mind about this,” Junmyeon warned. He ignored the whiny ‘don’t be mean, hyung’ and continued his ultimatum. “Stay away from cigarette and alcohol too, Baek. Don’t be irresponsible. Don’t go with strangers. If anyone tries to do something weird, call me or Sehun immediately. If you are left alone somehow, go somewhere safe and call us. If you don’t pick up my call or turn your phone off, I’ll find you and forbid you from going anywhere until you graduate—including prom.”

“Okay, okay,” Baekhyun said, dropping his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder. “Stop worrying, hyung, or your face will start to look your age.”

The guardian smacked his head playfully, but then brought him for a quick hug. “Just be safe,” he muttered, a little bit too melancholy for his own liking.

Baekhyun hugged him back before letting go, a wide smile adorning his youthful face. His phone beeped and they all knew it was his cue to go. A quick look at his phone confirmed their guess.

“That’s my ride! Okay, bye hyung!” He pecked Junmyeon quickly. “Bye, Sehun! I’m expecting a surprise party when I return tomorrow!”

And with that, the pink haired boy left, oblivious to the fact that his life would change the moment he stepped into the car.

“So, where are we going?” Baekhyun asked once Taemin started the car.

“There’s a bar we’ve been into lately. Decent food, good music, bunch of hotties,” someone at the back seat answered instead—Baekhyun recognized him as Taeyong, one of Taemin’s classmates. He also recognized Lucas, seated next to Taeyong, another one of Taemin’s classmates.

“I’ve told you I lost my I.D.,” he said, albeit a little bit whiny. “How am I supposed to get in?”

“You’ll get in just fine. The bouncer owes me a favor,” Taeyong said cheerfully. He opened the car window as he lit up his cigarette.

“Taeyong sucked him off last time,” Taemin informed, keeping his eyes on the road. “Who would have thought his loud mouth would come in handy.” He felt the back of his seat was kicked, but paid it no mind. The pink haired boy only laughed at the generous information.

“Want one?” Taeyong asked, sticking out the cigarette package in his hand.

“No, thanks.”

“You’ve stopped smoking suddenly. What’s wrong?” Lucas asked, already inhaling the cancer stick as well.

He was thankful he was seated at the front, or else someone might have noticed the way his cheeks heated up at the memory. “Junmyeon hyung hates the scent,” he lied, although not fully since his guardian did hate cigarette and told him to stay away from it.

“Wonder how you can stick with people telling you what to do,” Taeyong commented. “I’d smoke in front of his face if I were you.”

The pink haired boy frowned at the comment. Although he understood why some people hated being told what to do and what not to do, he actually really liked it. There was never anyone in his life that cared enough for him to guide him like that—unless, of course, his father’s useful ‘guidance’ that he heard from time to time when money was short. He felt like he was being cared for, whenever Junmyeon told him to do something or to avoid it. And it wasn’t like Jumnyeon forced him to always follow what he said. The older man simply advised him and let him decide in the end. He didn’t comment anything at the remark, not wanting to make the situation awkward.

They reached the club in a few minutes. As expected, the bouncer didn’t even bother asking for their I.D.s, only letting them in once Taeyong smiled at him. Baekhyun saw the way the bouncer slapped his ass as they walked in, but kept quiet.

The club was pretty crowded, since it was Saturday night. Bodies were rolling and grinding on the dance floor, dancing off beat to the EDM song being played by the DJ. As they reached their table, Baekhyun noticed some of Taemin’s other friends were already there. He knew some of them, having met them several times when he was out and about doing his little mischief. Taemin ordered their drinks after they were seated comfortably.

“Happy birthday Baekhyun!” He said as he raised his glass once their drinks arrived. “Well, technically not yet, but it will be your birthday in a few hours, so happy almost birthday!”

The other guys followed him, screaming a ‘happy almost birthday Baekhyunnie!’ before they drank their drinks. Baekhyun also took a sip of his Daiquiri, after requesting Taemin not to order him something too strong. He knew he had very low alcohol tolerance, and he didn’t want to spend the night throwing up or doing something embarrassing—last time he drank too much, he ended up having a certain part of Taeyong in his hands. The sweet taste made him giggle cutely, happy with the familiar taste.

They continued talking and laughing, and ordering more drinks that got even stronger than the previous. Baekhyun stuck with his Daiquiri, had only drunk two glasses while the others were already on their third or fourth. It was not until they all had gotten a little bit tipsy that Taemin proposed to go to the dance floor. Baekhyun was dragged by a very much drunk Taeyong, who started to circle his arms around Baekhyun’s neck as soon as they were in the middle of the crowd. They both didn’t really know how to dance, so they settled on moving their bodies left and right while giggling like there was no tomorrow. The smell of different cheap perfumes and sweat combined with the loud banging music made their heads dizzy

“You smell so good,” Taeyong suddenly breathed out after he slumped his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Are you sleeping at my house tonight? We can have fun together again.”

The pink haired man only laughed and cradled the head softly, knowing what kind of ‘fun’ Taeyong had implied. Although he was older than him, Baekhyun had always babied Taeyong the most out of everyone else in the group, courtesy of his baby face—although, of course, he was anything but a baby. He didn’t realize that someone was eyeing them from far away as he smooch Taeyong’s cheek affectionately.

Bodies kept on moving and rolling, until Taeyong told him he was going to the bathroom. Baekhyun spotted Taemin not far away from them, so he opted to hang out around the older until Taeyong returned. Yet somehow, in the middle of slithering his way to the other man, he got lost in the sea of people. It was too dark, too loud, too crowded—Baekhyun felt as if he was stuck inside a maze.

“Hey there,” he heard someone whispered so closely to his ear. The pungent smell of alcohol invaded his nose worse than before. “Want some drink, sugar?”

Baekhyun eyed the man, and from underneath the flickering lights, he could barely make out the man’s face. But his voice sounded nice, and Baekhyun was _very thirsty_. Mind hazy from the previous alcohol he had drunk; he mindlessly nodded and accepted the yellow coloured beverage. Had he mentioned that yellow was his favourite colour? Such a delight, he thought, smiling widely at the drink he held in his hand. As he took a sip, he failed to see the man’s eyes gleaming dangerously underneath the light.

The first sip of the drink burnt his throat almost immediately. He groaned at the taste, hoping that he would be greeted with something sweet since the drink looked so cheerful and pretty.

“It’ll taste better, I swear,” the man laughed, pressing his body closer to Baekhyun. When his hand landed on his lower back, an alarm went off in Baekhyun’s head. Suddenly he realized how stupid he was, drinking something given by a stranger in a fucking _club_.

“No, thanks,” he mumbled as he handed the drink back to the man. That was when he saw the predatory glint on the man’s eyes. Before he could think of anything else, the arm that previously was pressing lightly at his lower back suddenly was encircled around his waist painfully and the man used his other hand to take a hold of Baekhyun’s hand that was holding the drink.

“Don’t be impolite now,” the man said, voice sounded so menacing, nothing nice like he had sounded minutes before. “You’ve taken a sip, so you have to drink all of them.” The man pushed the drink to Baekhyun’s lips, forcing him to drink it. Baekhyun would have pushed him away, but his body felt so weak all of the sudden, and his voice was caught in his throat. Although he had tried to purse his lips, some of the liquid got inside his mouth and burnt his throat even more.

“Come on, don’t be such a bitch,” the man grunted, pressing the glass even harder against Baekhyun’s delicate lips. His hand that was on his waist had started to grip painfully that Baekhyun knew it would bruise.

_“—don’t be such a bitch. You’re a slut just like your useless mother.”_

Baekhyun gasped at the memory that surged in his mind. The sound of his nightmare, his ultimate fear. Tears were streaming down Baekhyun’s delicate face as he tried to push the man away. His heart was beating loudly inside his chest; his stomach was twisted in fear and disgust. He wanted to scream for help, to get away from the stranger, but he was getting weaker and weaker. His limbs were giving up on him, that the only thing that kept him standing was the man’s burning grip on his waist.

_“You’ll make a pretty whore. My friend said he’d pay to fuck your ass.”_

The sound of his nightmare’s voice talking came back to his ears, and more tears streamed down his face. It was sickening; the smell of alcohol from the man’s breath, his bruising hold on his body, the way he reminded Baekhyun of _him_. From his teary eyes, he could see the man was saying something, and laughing, but he couldn’t hear a thing. Then the man started to drag his body, hands all over him making him feel even more disgusted at himself. Giving up, he closed his eyes and prayed to whichever God that listened to him, hoping that someone would save him.

“There you go. Obedient little slut. We’ll have so much fun tonight,” the man whispered in his ears the moment Baekhyun gave up. And another memory from his nightmare came back.

_“Come on, Baekhyun. Be a useful son for once, won’t you?”_

Just when he realized that the man had managed to pull him outside, from the sudden easiness of breathing, he felt someone pulled him away from the man. He tried to open his eyes—it was hazy, but he could make out the man’s figure being pinned on the ground by another figures. He became even more panicked, as he was afraid the new people would be even worse than the man. As he started to hyperventilate, he was turned around, and the gentlest hands held his shoulders.

“Baekhyun,” someone called his name, voice so familiar that he smiled unconsciously. “Baekhyun, stay with me.” Baekhyun wanted to stay with him, but his mind was getting heavier. He only wanted to sleep, so that he didn’t have to listen to his nightmare anymore.

“Fuck, Park!” The man shouted, still holding onto Baekhyun gently. “Chanyeol, come here!” Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered at the name—why did it sound so familiar? He couldn’t think. He was tired, he was sleepy, he wanted to sleep so that the night’s event would be just another nightmare—another collection to lock in the deepest part of his mind.

The hands on his shoulders were replaced with firmer ones, but they were much warmer, much more comfortable. A familiar scent of musk and pine replaced the disgusting smell of alcohol, and Baekhyun became more at ease.

“Baekhyun,” the man called with his deep voice, forcing Baekhyun to listen carefully to what he had to say. “Byun, we’re going to take you somewhere safe, okay? And then we’ll call your guardian for you.” Was it concern in his voice? Or did the drink make him hallucinate so much?

“Don’t call hyung,” he mumbled in his sleepy state. “Please?”

“I’m sorry, Baekhyun, but you know that we—”

“Please?” He opened his eyes in such difficulties, but in the end he managed to do it. He was greeted with the sight of Chanyeol, ever so handsome in his casual clothes. The older man still stared at him with a frown in his face, and Baekhyun wished he could do something to wipe the expression away. “I don’t feel so good,” he whined when the dizziness hit him once more, and the urge to sleep grew and grew.

“You’ll be okay,” Chanyeol said softly before he lifted Baekhyun up easily.

As Baekhyun finally let the sandman take him to dreamland, he believed that he would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait! My life's been shitty for the past month /sigh/ hopefully the next update won't be this long. Also, I'm not so sure if this chapter is okay. I want to make it more angsty and i wish i can capture baek's fear better, but yea i failed. Do leave comments though! I love feedback 🥺  
> Say hi to me on [twitter!>a/>](https://www.twitter.com/exosimp/)


	6. Birthday

It was dark.

And cold.

He couldn’t see anything despite how hard he was trying—his eyes just wouldn’t open. He knew he was crying, but why did he cry? He couldn’t tell. He just knew that he was in pain—both his head, and his heart. Just as he was about to move, he saw _him._

“Baekhyun!” The man shouted, and Baekhyun immediately curled in as a defense mechanism—something that he had been doing ever since he could remember. Because every time the man shouted, it could only mean one thing.

As he had predicted, the man hit the back of his head like he always did. There was a ringing sound in his ears, and he became dizzy.

“The fuck have you been doing all day, you ungrateful little shit?! Didn’t I tell you to get dinner ready before fucking 7?!” The man shouted again, the disgusting smell of alcohol laced his breath. Baekhyun really hated his voice. “Answer me, little prick!” The man grabbed his jaw and squeezed it painfully, before he pushed Baekhyun away.

“I—mother’s not feeling well,” Baekhyun muttered, fighting the urge to cry out loud because he knew the man would only torture him more if he saw Baekhyun cried.

The scream Baekhyun let out as the man pulled his hair would crush every heart. Sadly the man hadn’t had his heart for the longest time—either it was broken because of the alcohol he consumed every day, or he had lost it in a gamble.

“Is your slut of a mother the one who’s fucking working to get food in this house?! Is she the one who’s out all day to feed you?! Huh? Answer me!”

“N-no,” Baekhyun choked on his answer. The pull on his hair was too painful—he was certain there would be a lot of strands of hair on the man’s fingers after he let go. “No, p-please. It’s you.”

The man threw his body to the ground like a lifeless doll—and that was what Baekhyun had always felt in the household, as if he was not alive.

“Damn right!” The man said through his teeth. “So you better get your ass going and finish my fucking dinner before I accept Kim’s offer to buy you.”

The man kicked Baekhyun’s leg as the poor boy tried to get up. His eyes were staring at Baekhyun menacingly—loath was written all over his face. Those were the eyes that used to look so soft, so gentle every time Baekhyun looked into them. Those were the eyes of the person who was supposed to love him and protect him, and raise him the way he deserved. There was nothing but resentment in those eyes now, so Baekhyun lowered his gaze before he softly mumbled,

“Yes, father.”

When Baekhyun finally could see, he was in his own room.

 _It’s just a dream,_ he chanted inside his brain like a mantra. _It’s just a dream. Nothing has happened. I’m at home. I’m safe. I’m—_

Baekhyun felt a painful throb in his head, and feeling very nausea in a split second. He tried to move his body, but felt too weak to even move his hand. That was when he realized that only a _part_ of it was a dream. The club, the yellow drink, the man that drugged him—they were all _real_. He cried, feeling his head pounding painfully as his mind brought him back to what had happened to him, reminding him although he didn’t want to.

“Hey, hey, calm down.”

Baekhyun flinched when he heard the voice, only realizing that he was not alone in the room. And on the chair next to the bed, there was Chanyeol, still in his shirt and slacks, looking at him worriedly.

“Cha _—_ -Chanyeol-ssi?” He called, voice hoarse and throat in so much pain.

“Calm down,” Chanyeol said again, this time taking his limp hand in his, rubbing comforting circles that worked almost successfully. “You’re safe now. You’re in your room and nothing will harm you here.”

He would very much like to believe in the elder’s words, but his heart was still beating painfully inside his chest. Tears were falling out of his eyes, out of fear, out of pain, and he found it hard to breathe once more even though Chanyeol still held his hand.

“Take a deep breath,” the officer ordered. “You’re okay. Everything’s okay now.” He kept on repeating those calming phrases like mantras, speaking in a very gentle tone that slowly Baekhyun’s breathing became normal and his tears stopped.

“Is your head still very painful?” Chanyeol asked once Baekhyun was in a better state than before. “I need you to sit up so you can drink water and take some meds. You think you can do that?”

Baekhyun couldn’t. He didn’t know how he was going to do it when his head felt like it was about to explode any time soon, pain worsened by the nightmare. Another batch of tears flowed from his eyes and it was enough for Chanyeol to know the answer to his question.

“My head h-hurts,” Baekhyun whined. “What happened?”

Chanyeol’s hold on his hand tightened for a while, and it terrified him. But it seemed as if the officer noticed because the next second he was rubbing circles with his thumb.

“You were at the club with your friends earlier,” he started slowly. “Do you remember?”

The boy nodded weakly, whimpering when his head pounded once again.

“A man offered you a drink, and you took a sip.”

“I was so stupid,” he whispered. “I just—I was—what was I thinking?”

“Hey, hey,” Chanyeol moved closer to him and used his free hand to wipe the fresh batch of tears. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”

The memory from earlier came back to Baekhyun’s mind. A painful whimper escaped from his lips when he remembered the man’s disgusting voice. The places where the man had touched him felt disgusting and all he wanted to do was to scrub his body clean, to erase the lingering touch of his harasser. He felt dirty, low, pathetic, _just like a slut_ like his father used to say. What was he thinking, accepting drinks from stranger? Did he… unconsciously ask for it—to be harassed? People would say so, he knew it. They would say he was asking for it. But he wasn’t. He was drunk, confused, and it had never occurred to his mind that he could be a target of something so vile.

“Hey,” Chanyeol’s voice was waking him from his poisonous thoughts. “Don’t blame yourself, Baekhyun. You’re safe now. No one’s going to get you here.”

Baekhyun didn’t look like he was convinced—still looking like he was afraid somebody was going to get him even if he was at his house—but at least his tears had stopped again. Chanyeol gave him the glass of water when the pink haired boy tried to get up. Swallowing the pills and water was hard, especially when the thought of drinking something offered by someone gave him the chills, but he forced himself.

“I don’t… I don’t remember what happened after you arrived,” Baekhyun said after he finished the water.

“We took you to ER,” Chanyeol answered calmly. “Needed to give you the first aid and make sure he didn’t put anything life threatening. We called your guardian and—”

“Hyung,” Baekhyun cut him off. He shot Chanyeol a terrified look, taking the officer by surprise. “Why—why’d you call hyung?”

“Of course we need to—”

“I—I told you not to call him,” he interrupted again, frowning so deeply that Chanyeol was afraid it would leave a permanent mark on his face. “Told you—told you to not call him, and, and you said _yes_.”

“Baekhyun, of course we need to call him. The hospital couldn’t perform tests on you without your guardian. And he needed to know what happened too.”

“Where’s… where’s he?” The pink haired boy cried, not looking like he actually listened to what Chanyeol had said.

“He’s in his room now. Sehun forced him to sleep there when he started to fall asleep on this chair while waiting for you to wake up.”

“Is he…,” Baekhyun bit his lips to swallow the tears that were threatening to fall. “Is he mad at me?” His voice was broken in the end, and it made Chanyeol feel sad for a reason.

“He’s not,” Chanyeol said firmly. “Why would he be mad at you, Baekhyun?”

“I—I broke his rules,” the boy choked out. “I did the things he told me not to. He… he must be mad at me. He—he must have _hated_ me.”

The frown on Chanyeol’s face deepened at the words. He had heard a little part of Baekhyun’s life, of what Junmyeon knew, when he was still unconscious. From the way Junmyeon cried and waited for him to wake up, he knew that the guardian was nowhere near being upset, even more hating the boy.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol called, holding his hand once more when the boy looked like he was out of it. He gave the dainty hand a little squeeze and rubbed circles in hope to calm him down. “He doesn’t hate you. He wouldn’t have forced himself to stay up if he did. He was worried, yes, and upset, but not at you. He was mad at the man for doing this to you.”

The tears hadn’t stopped falling from Baekhyun’s eyes, and he seemed to hyperventilate still. Chanyeol was lost for a moment, not knowing what to do. Of course he had received basic trainings about how to deal with victims, what to do when they had a panic attack. But all those things he had learned in the academy seemed futile.

So he stood up and sat at the edge of Baekhyun’s bed, one hand still holding his, while the other held his face.

“Baekhyun, look at me,” he said firmly, gently forcing the boy to look at him by holding his face in place. “Take a deep breath. Come on, inhale through your nose.” The boy shakily inhaled, still sobbing badly that it made him shaky.

“Now exhale from your mouth,” he instructed. He asked Baekhyun to repeat a couple more times until he was breathing a little better, and the tears had stopped.

“Junmyeon doesn’t hate you,” Chanyeol said. “He is upset, but he’s not upset _at you_. He’s upset at the man who did this to you, okay?” He repeated what he said earlier because it seemed as if the boy didn’t hear him back then.

Baekhyun still couldn’t trust him, not when the voices in his head told him not to believe in Chanyeol’s words. It was so easy no believe he was lying. Why would Junmyeon still want him when he had got himself in such troubles? Not to mention he was legal now, so Junmyeon could easily stop being his legal guardian if he wanted to. Besides, what was the purpose of keeping Baekhyun anyway?

“Hey,” Chanyeol gently tapped his cheek, waking him from his poisonous thoughts. “Believe me. He loves you so much. He will never hate you.”

Still sobbing a little, Baekhyun nodded slowly. “I—I’m scared if he—if he’s had enough and—”

“No,” the officer cut him off. “You’ll see when he wakes up, okay? Don’t worry your mind with those thoughts.” Chanyeol got off from the bed and returned to the chair, but much to Baekhyun’s relief, he still held his hand. “Now, you have to rest. It’s still so early anyway and you need to restore your energy after… after all that.”

Baekhyun nodded, lying on the bed once more. “What will… happen to—to _him_?” He asked, though his voice was so small, he wasn’t sure Chanyeol heard him.

“Jail. For a long time. We’ve been hunting him for a few weeks now. He’s been preying on young men your age,” the officer answered. “I’m sorry you had to go through that because we weren’t fast enough.”

“It’s not your fault,” he whispered. “And I hope he suffered for—for what he did.”

“I will make sure he is punished accordingly,” Chanyeol said. “Now sleep.”

Baekhyun shifted on the bed to find a comfortable position. He ended up lying on his side, one hand underneath his pillow while the other still held on to Chanyeol’s tightly.

“Will you—will you stay?” He asked. And it was not because of his crush, no. He was just still so scared, he didn’t know what would happen if he woke up alone. He didn’t know how to handle waking up knowing that he was left alone. And Chanyeol made him feel safe, he made him feel like he wouldn’t have nightmares again.

The officer looked at him intently before he gave a small smile, one that he showed on their car ride. “I will.”

Holding on to his words, Baekhyun fell back to his sleep. This time, his sleep was dreamless, but filled with comfort knowing that he was safe.

When Baekhyun woke up again, he found three figures in his bedroom instead of one. The figures were talking quietly, not realizing that he had woken up. Sluggishly, he tried to sit up, but only ended up groaning because of the dull pain in his head. Although it wasn’t as bad as before, it still stung. At the sound of his groan, three pair of eyes stared at him.

“Baekhyun!” Sehun shouted, immediately running to his bed and hugged him tightly. The sudden movement caused his head to pound again, but he accepted the hug from his best friend. He hugged him back, burying his face on the crook of Sehun’s neck that always smelled like baby powder.

“Are you okay?” The boy fussed. “You scared the shit out of me! I was so shocked when Jun hyung woke me up saying that you were at the hospital! I was _so close_ to punching Taemin and his useless friends.”

Baekhyun cringed at that, knowing how serious Sehun was about punching his friends. But at the mention of his guardian, he looked up to the man standing near Chanyeol, looking at him with an emotionless face. Quickly, he lowered his face. There it was; the look of disappointment.

“Sehun,” the oldest called out. “Can I talk to Baekhyun?”

Sehun quickly let go of his embrace, and Baekhyun wished he didn’t. He wished Sehun would still hug him and stay with him. Instead, the boy gave him an apologetic smile and walked out of his room. He saw Chanyeol sending him a reassuring look before he, too, walked out of the room and closed it gently. His heart warmed a little, knowing that the officer was still there.

But when Junmyeon walked closer to his bed, his heart stopped beating.

Millions of thoughts came running to his head. It would be it—Junmyeon would get mad at him. And he would tell him to move out. He would tell him that he was no longer his guardian and he didn’t want him anymore.

So Baekhyun was surprised when Junmyeon hugged him instead.

“Oh, silly boy,” Junmyeon sighed, sounding as if he was so tired, but so relieved. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help the tears falling down his face. He hugged the elder with all his might, burying his face on Junmyeon’s chest, wetting his shirt with his tears.

“There, there,” Junmyeon patted his head, still holding him close. “You must have been so scared, right, Baekhyunnie? I’m sorry you have to go through that. I wished I could have done something.” He continued combing the pink strands, whispering comforting words as Baekhyun crumbled, trembling and crying his heart out.

“You’re—you’re not mad?” He croaked with his hoarse voice.

Junmyeon loosened his embrace to look at the teary eyed boy, frowning at his question. “Mad? At you? Of course not, Baekhyunnie.”

“P-please don’t hate me,” Baekhyun cried again.

“Oh, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon sighed. He planted a kiss on Baekhyun’s wet cheek to calm him down. “I would never hate you, Baekhyunnie. What makes you think that I’d hate you? Shh, shh, calm down, silly. I’m mad that this happened, but it’s because I love you so much, okay? I just—I wished this horrible thing had never happened to you. But I’m not mad at you or hate you. Please don’t think that I’d hate you for something that is out of your control.”

“But I—I could have said _no_. I shouldn’t accept t-the d-drink. I just— _hyung_ , I’m sorry.”

“No, Baekhyun, please don’t say that. Don’t blame yourself, please. It’s his fault, okay? You couldn’t have known. Just—don’t think that this is your fault,” Junmyeon hugged him again, rubbing his back comfortingly.

“I don’t want to move out, hyung,” Baekhyun sobbed, voice muffled against Junmyeon’s neck. His words made Junmyeon pulled away and stared at him, surprised.

“Move out? Move out where?”

“I-I don’t know, but I—I know that I’m of age now, but I still want to stay with you—and Sehunnie.” Junmyeon laughed softly at his words and kissed his temple, ruffling his hair in adoration.

“Silly. You can stay with me as long as you’d like. I’m not forcing you to move out just because you _barely_ turned eighteen,” the older said.

“Even—even though I keep on giving you problems?” The pink haired boy choked.

“Oh, sweetheart, don’t say that,” Junmyeon sighed. “You’ll stay here until _you_ want to move out. I’ll never, _never_ , kick you out. You’re part of my family, Baek.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now wipe those tears away. You must have been starving. It’s almost noon. What do you want to eat, Baekhyun?” Junmyeon asked, back to his mother hen mode. It made Baekhyun chuckle a little, as he used the back of his hand to wipe the remaining tears away.

“Anything will do, hyung, But I want to shower first.” He grimaced when he realized that the smell from the club still stuck on him, even when someone already changed him into his pajamas.

“I’ll prepare a bath for you. I don’t think you’re strong enough to stand for so long.”

Once Junmyeon finished preparing the bath and went out of the room to prepare his breakfast—or lunch?—Baekhyun slowly walked to the bathroom. As he took off his top and stared into the mirror, he felt nauseated. It seemed as if he could still feel the man’s filthy hands on his waist, gripping tightly lower and lower. His breathing escalated as he thought about what would happen if the police wasn’t there—if it was _too late_.

 _No, Baekhyun,_ he closed his eyes tightly. _It’s over. Don’t think about it._

As he tried to breathe normally, Chanyeol’s voice was heard on his ears once more. _Inhale from your nose, exhale from your mouth_. His voice was repeating those words again and again, until he finally calmed down. The officer’s calming voice came back one last time before he decided to take a bath.

_You’re safe now. No one’s going to get you here._

Once he had taken a bath, scrubbing his skin a little bit too harshly in order to erase the lingering feeling of the man’s disgusting hand, Sehun and Junmyeon already waited for him in his room, with a tray of food. He climbed back to the bed and had a bowl of chicken soup handed to him immediately.

“Can you do it? Or do you want me to feed you, Baek?” Sehun teased, earning a scrunched up face as an answer from the pink haired boy.

The warmth of the soup soothed his throat immediately. He hadn’t realized how sore it was, probably from shouting and screaming too much. After a couple of bites, he realized that something was missing.

“Where—umh, where is…?”

“Oh, officer Park went home while you’re in the bathroom,” Junmyeon answered, knowing who Baekhyun must have been searching for. “Don’t pout, Baek. He hasn’t gone home since last night,” the elder said when he saw Baekhyun’s shoulders drop in disappointment.

“He hasn’t?” Baekhyun perked up at that, childishness still showing clear, making Sehun snort in amusement.

“Please. He was in the ambulance next to you the whole time, waited until hyung and I got into the hospital, then waited until the tests were done, waited _again_ until the results came out, _drove us_ because hyung was still losing his mind, _and_ waited until you woke up. Man, if after all that you’re _still_ disappointed he went back just now, I don’t know what to say,” Sehun rambled, earning a playful scold from Junmyeon and a red face from Baekhyun.

Chanyeol did… all that? Just for a victim? Baekhyun’s mind went wild as he continued eating mindlessly, not paying attention to whatever Junmyeon and Sehun were discussing. _Well, maybe he does that for every victim he save_ , he thought, trying not to have a high hope. That must be it—Chanyeol was just showing basic human kindness, being concerned because he knew Baekhyun a little, and felt responsible since he was an officer and what not. The thought made him a little bit sad, but remembering what Sehun had told him made him feel happy in the end.

Once he had finished his brunch and eaten his medicines—and let Junmyeon worry over him like the kind guardian he was—Baekhyun got back to sleep. He was still sluggish from how the night turned out, and the medicines also made him sleepier. After earning a loving kiss on his cheek from Junmyeon and a too tight hug from Sehun—who secretly cried over him many times the night before—he fell back to sleep.

“Baekhyun? Hey, Baekhyun, wake up.”

Feeling someone was shaking his body, Baekhyun slowly opened his eyes, rubbing them cutely before he could finally see. Sehun was looming over him, staring with a suspiciously serious face.

“Wake up.”

“What? Why?” The pink haired boy asked, stifling a yawn as he got up.

“Well, it’s five already. Hyung said it’s not good for you to sleep without eating anything else aside from that soup,” Sehun said nonchalantly.

“Oh, dinner time?” It saddened him a little that he slept his whole birthday away, but thinking about his birthday only reminded him of what had happened and it made him shiver in fear so he tried not to think about it anymore. “Okay, Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Sehun shouted when he reached his door. “I mean—don’t you want to freshen up? Change your clothes or something?”

His words made Baekhyun frown. He was still not in the right mind to think about what was weird with Sehun’s words. “Why should I change?”

Sehun bit his lips and thought for quite a while before he answered—something that Baekhyun missed completely because he was still so sleepy. “You drooled all over your top! _Yuck_. Manners, Baek. Go wash your face and change.” Sehun dragged him to the bathroom and left him inside, only coming back a few seconds later to shove his good sweater and _jeans_. “Change. Hurry, hurry,” he chided when Baekhyun remained not moving.

Thinking made his head throb, so after a while, Baekhyun decided to just do what Sehun told him to. He washed his face, used a mouthwash, and changed his clothes. His hair was still sticking out a little, but he decided that he no longer had the energy to style his hair, so he just got out.

“Can we eat now?” Baekhyun asked the boy who was lying comfortably on his bed.

“Better. Okay, let’s go.”

Once they got out of his room, his nose immediately picked up the heavenly scent of cooked meat and he realized that he was actually starving. It made him smile a little that Junmyeon remembered that he wanted to eat barbeque for his birthday, although they couldn’t really go anywhere.

“Happy birthday Baekhyunnie!”

Baekhyun jumped out of surprise at the loud cheering the moment he entered the living room. There was confetti flying all over his face, accompanied with laughter. Once he got over his surprise, he saw _everyone_ was there.

“Oh—” he choked on his own words at the sight, feeling his tears welling up on the corners of his eyes, “oh, you guys—”

Junmyeon was standing at the front, beaming ever so handsomely with the confetti popper still in his hands. Kyungsoo was next to him, holding a cake that he knew the latter was making on his own. Jongin was on his side, also with a confetti popper in his hand. And there was Jongdae, on the other side of Junmyeon, on his embrace was who Baekhyun assumed as his wife. But much to his surprise, much to his delight, _Chanyeol was also there_ , and he had the most beautiful smile on his face.

“Happy birthday, Baekhyunnie,” Junmyeon came to his side immediately and hugged him. “I’m sorry the situation is not ideal, but we still want to surprise you.”

“I—hyung—this is _perfect_ ,” he cried when he could no longer hold his tears. He hugged Junmyeon tightly and nuzzled to his neck. “Thank you. _Thank you so much_.” _Thank you for making me feel so loved_ , he thought, but not voicing it out loud because he knew Junmyeon knew. The kiss he earned on his temple showed him that.

Kyungsoo came to him with the cake, followed by the others. “Don’t cry, Baekhyunnie. You still have to blow the candles,” he said kindly.

“Yeah, Baekkie. Don’t cry,” Jongin teased, just like usual. It earned him a weak punch from Baekhyun and a bright smile.

They sang him a happy birthday song and asked him to make a wish before he blew the candles out.

Baekhyun wished he could be with all of them for the rest of his life.

“How are you feeling?”

Baekhyun looked up from the cake he was eating, finding Chanyeol looking at him with his usual stare.

“Much better now,” he said as Chanyeol took a seat next to him.

“That’s good.”

“Um… Sehun told me that you—you stayed, the whole time. I—um, thank you, for everything,” he said shyly, mindlessly playing with his cake without daring to look at the officer.

“That’s not a big deal,” Chanyeol said. “I was—” he stopped himself abruptly, making Baekhyun look at him curiously. “I’m sorry for leaving without saying anything to you. Sehun said you were taking a bath, and I needed to go to the station too earlier.”

For some reason, Baekhyun felt like it wasn’t something that he wanted to say, but decided to disregard it. “It’s okay. I mean, after staying here the whole time, you know…” He quieted down; his thoughts from earlier came back and he wanted so much to ask if he did the same thing with everyone.

They continued sitting there in silence, watching Sehun smeared frosting on Junmyeon’s cheek before running around the kitchen like the childish person he was. Before any of them could break the silence, Jongdae came over with his beautiful wife.

“Baekhyunnie, this is our gift for you,” Mrs. Kim said sweetly, handing over a paper bag to Baekhyun.

“Oh, thank you so much,” he said, flustered when they cooed at his cuteness.

“It’s nothing much. Yeol called on such a short notice, but we didn’t want to come here empty handed,” Jongdae said cheerfully. Baekhyun wondered how someone could always radiate happiness the way he did.

“Sorry about that. I was also invited before I left earlier,” the other officer said sheepishly. It was another new sight for Baekhyun that for a while, he stared at Chanyeol’s perfect side profile, sheepish smile adorning his face. He only realized that he had been staring when he heard Jongdae’s cough and his wife’s giggles.

“I’m—I’m sure it’s amazing. Thank you so much,” he said to the couple again, standing up to give them a bow. Junmyeon didn’t raise him to be impolite after all.

“Well, it’s quite late. If it’s okay, we’d like to go back now. We still have to pick up Hana from my mother’s house,” Jongdae said, giving Baekhyun’s head the little ruffles he liked so much. His words caught everyone’s attention, as they all immediately checked out the time.

“You’re right. It is quite late. You boys have to go home to prepare for school tomorrow,” Junmyeon said to Jongin and Kyungsoo, who had just finished cleaning up even when Junmyeon told them not to.

“I’ll drive you back,” Chanyeol said as he stood up. “It’s dangerous for you to walk at night, even when there are two of you.”

“O-oh, there’s no need,” Kyungsoo said immediately. Baekhyun knew it was because he was still not that comfortable around Chanyeol’s intimidating figure.

“Come on, Soo. It’ll be past your curfew if we walk!” Jongin, unashamedly as usual, said, earning a disgruntled ‘okay’ from the other. The way he wiggled his eyebrows at Baekhyun told him that he had another agenda with the officer and he knew he wouldn’t like it one bit.

The Kim couple said their goodbye first, each giving Baekhyun a bone crushing hug as if they had known each other for years. Jongdae also teased him a little about not being able to break the law as he pleased anymore now that he was legal—something he was not happy about.

“Your birthday gift from the three of us is on the top! Make sure to open it when you’re alone,” Jongin said suggestively, laughing like a maniac when Baekhyun tried to run away from his embrace. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Please recover soon!”

“Happy birthday, Baekhyunnie,” Kyungsoo hugged him too, saving him from Jongin. “I’m sorry it happened to you, but I’m happy you’re okay. I’ll visit you after school tomorrow.”

Then Chanyeol stood awkwardly next to him, looking a little bit out of place, but Baekhyun thought it was nothing they wouldn’t be able to change. “Happy birthday, Byun,” he said softly, although his face was showing little emotion like usual. “Recover well.” Baekhyun was almost disappointed with how short and formal it was if it weren’t for the warmest ruffles on his hair that he had ever received in his whole life.

Sehun teased his red face nonstop.

Once all of his birthday gifts were moved to his room, Junmyeon told him to rest. Although he was really feeling better, the elder still insisted he took as much rest he could to make sure he recovered fully. After a long hug and a bunch of kisses, the elder wished him another happy birthday and good night.

“Happy birthday, Baekkie,” Sehun hugged him. “Don’t you scare me like this again, you hear me? No more pretending being a bad boy just to chase Chanyeol hyung,” he scolded, making Baekhyun slap him for saying it out loud.

“I hate being eighteen already,” Baekhyun sighed. “How am I ever going to talk to him now?”

Sehun smirked at him devilishly. “Wait for my gift for you! You better get me something good for Christmas!” He laughed, leaving a confused Baekhyun in his own room.

Baekhyun started to open the gifts they got him. Junmyeon bought him the newest phone to replace his three year old one—something he had been dying to do but Baekhyun always told him that he didn’t need a new one. It seemed as if Sehun still held grudges over his birthday gift, because the three of them got him two embarrassing adult toys and a bottle of lube. He shoved them to the deepest part of his drawer with red face. But Kyungsoo got him a hoodie, because he was such an angel. From Jongdae and his wife, he got a pair of sneakers.

 _I hope you can run faster from us with this pair!_ The note said. He chuckled, realizing that Jongdae must have taken notice of his old sneakers.

What he didn’t expect was a gift from Chanyeol.

Since the elder didn’t say anything earlier, he thought that he didn’t give him any—which would be perfectly fine, because his existence itself was a blessing, Baekhyun thought. So he was genuinely surprised to open a paper bag and find a scented candle inside. The note made him feel like combusting into tiny pieces of rainbows and sparkles.

_I heard that you got nightmares from time to time, not just because of what happened last night. I hope this will make you sleep better at night. I always find the scent comforting. Happy birthday, Baekhyun. —from Chanyeol._

His heart tightened at the note, feeling touched that the elder took his time to pick something out for him—and something he needed to. He took the candle out of its box and inhaled the scent—it was similar to the scent in Chanyeol’s car, pine. For some reason he felt like he was going to sleep even better. He felt like it was probably the best gift he had ever received in his whole life.

The second best gift came from Sehun. He was right—Baekhyun definitely needed to buy him something amazing for Christmas.

**Unknown Number**

_Good evening, Baekhyun.  
I’m sorry for texting so sudden.  
I got your phone number from Sehun.  
I hope it’s okay with you.  
If you don’t mind, can I pick you up tomorrow to  
give statements for your case?  
This is Park Chanyeol, btw._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't updated this in so long ;_; I've done a little research about spiked drinks and stuff but I'd still probably made mistakes so I'm sowwy ;_; I'll try to update faster, especially since in the next chapter we'll /finally/ see the development in baek and yeol's relationship he he  
> Please leave your thoughts! They're very motivating!


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